How Brands Are Using Sports Influencers at Wimbledon and the US Open to Reach New Audiences

Tennis has a new audience, and brands are taking notice

Tennis has shed its exclusive, country club reputation. A younger, digitally native audience has picked up the racket, transforming major tournaments from mere athletic competition into worldwide platforms for fashion and lifestyle.

For brands, this means access to:

• A stylish sport with a cultural footprint that’s rapidly becoming year-round
• Mass appeal, stretching well beyond traditional tennis enthusiasts
• Abundant and powerful crossovers with a wide range of verticals, including but not limited to fashion, fragrance, beauty, food and drink, and lifestyle

Tenniscore, aesthetics and the lifestyle crossover

The rise of “Tenniscore” has turned pleated skirts, polo shirts, and heritage luxury, seen in the likes of Burberry, into the newest force in fashion (again). What was once the preserve of upper-class and traditional types has become the centre of a style revolution led by Gen Z and TikTok.

Luxury fashion labels and high-street brands are equally enthusiastic in leveraging this evolution of tennis activewear, using the aesthetics of the sport to position themselves as staples of summer style.

How TikTok and Instagram turned Wimbledon and the US Open into cultural moments

Social platforms have democratised tournament access. Instead of waiting for the TV highlights, fans can experience the Grand Slams through spectator uploads or professional cutdowns in near-real time.

TikTok trends, behind-the-scenes Instagram Reels, and viral court-side style breakdowns have turned these two-week events into a festival of spectacle, transforming players into celebrity influencers while creating opportunities for creators of every level.

What the shift from broadcast to creator-led looks like in practice

Instead of ad breaks that obstruct the viewer from the game they want to watch, creator-led campaigns seamlessly integrate into a user’s daily feed, bringing them closer to the players and sport they love.

This could look like a fashion creator reviewing court-side outfits, a food influencer recreating the famous strawberries and cream, or a travel creator documenting a weekend trip to New York for the tournament.

Through creator-led content, a brand can become a natural, functional part of the sport’s narrative rather than an interruption or, at best, a hitchhiker.

Why Wimbledon and the US Open are two very different brand opportunities

Marketers often make the mistake of treating the Grand Slams as interchangeable. While both events attract global attention, Wimbledon and the US Open have entirely distinct personalities, audiences, and cultural expectations.

The Wimbledon audience

Wimbledon is defined by heritage, prestige, and quiet luxury. The audience appreciates tradition, whether it’s the strict all-white player dress code, strawberries and cream or iconic hospitality suites.

Brand activations should feel aspirational, polished, and effortlessly sophisticated. Fail to align with the tournament’s class and prestige at your own peril.

The US Open audience

The US Open is loud. It’s high energy, and it’s deeply rooted in New York City culture. Sessions run late into the night under bright lights, music plays during changeovers, and the crowd is visibly diverse and expressive.

This event calls for brands to be bold, with high-impact activations that lean into urban style, entertainment, and pop culture.

What influencer activation at Wimbledon actually looks like

A successful campaign at SW19 is all about capturing lifestyle aspiration and the British summer.

Courtside creator content and event access

Brands arrange exclusive access to hospitality areas or premium courtside seating for hand-picked creators. This content is all about the experience of attending: the outfit preparation, the walk through the grounds, and the atmosphere of Centre Court.

Through this, audiences can live vicariously through the creator and appreciate how the brand fits into that experience.

Lifestyle and fashion brands borrowing Wimbledon’s cultural equity

Non-sporting brands are discovering that it’s not only possible, but powerful to tap into this world-famous tournament’s prestige.

Clothing brands can launch Wimbledon collections around the fortnight that it runs, while beauty labels and beverage companies might position their products as essential components of the quintessential Wimbledon summer. The key is aligning with the premium, leisurely lifestyle the event represents.

What influencer activation at the US Open actually looks like

The US Open calls for a different playbook – one that’s powered by the fast-paced, vibrant energy of New York City.

Playing New York as much as the event itself

A successful US Open campaign treats the city as one side of the coin, and the tournament as the other. Pairing up with distinct New York creators gets brands beyond the stadium gates and into the fabric of the city and its people at this special time of year.

This could look like ‘Get Ready With Me’ videos with a real New York bent, whether it’s travelling across the city for the tournament or getting courtside for the famous night sessions matches.

How brands are showing up beyond the court

The whole of New York buzzes during the US Open. Smart brands look way beyond the physical lines of the court for impactful activations.

This could be brand-hosted watch parties, street pop-ups, or late-night afterparties, turning the tournament into the anchor for a broader urban lifestyle campaign.

US Open campaign examples that cut through

Grey Goose

The ‘Honey Deuce’ cocktail by Grey Goose has been a viral staple of the US Open since 2006, in part due to the brand’s ongoing creativity and playfulness in making it a quintessential part of the event’s culture.

Grey Goose dropped tennis star Frances Tiafoe into a Grand Central pop-up bar, “The Last Serve”, to create an unforgettable and unexpected experience for everyday commuters. Meanwhile, creators like Jack Innanen brought their chaotic, funny energy to exclusive courtside experiences.

Naked Smoothies

Naked Smoothies went doubles with tennis star Coco Gauff for their US Open campaign, making her Chief Smoothie Officer for the launch of their new signature flavour. This was paired with ‘Coco’s Corner Store’, a bodega-style pop-up in Nolita with exclusive merchandise and photo ops to drive organic buzz. By localising early access to the product ahead of the national launch, Naked created a viral moment that was deeply New York.

How to choose the right creators for a Grand Slam campaign

Grand Slams are – obviously – sports focused. But that doesn’t mean you need to stick to pro players or pundits for your campaigns.

The difference between a sports creator and a lifestyle creator

Sports creators

These influencers excel at technical credibility, equipment reviews, and reaching core tennis enthusiasts.

Lifestyle creators

Lifestyle influencers are ideal for reaching broader demographics, showcasing fashion trends, and enabling creative links between sports and other verticals.

How to match creator audience to brand objective

If the objective is building mass brand awareness and tapping into cultural relevance, sportspeople are always going to be the star of the show.

If you’re a non-sports brand trying to draw equity from these events, leverage creators that your target audience love and bring them into the sporting world, rather than trying to shove non-aligned influencers in front of them.

If you’re looking to run quick, effective campaigns for direct sales off the back of a Grand Slam, consider smaller creators with a niche focus from across sports and related verticals.

How to measure whether it worked

Like every other campaign, proving ROI is key. In the 2026 social media landscape, it’s not about the number of eyes following the ball, but where it hits the ground.

What metrics actually matter for Grand Slam activations 

Share of Voice (SOV)

Tracking how much of the online conversation around the tournament your brand captured.

Audience sentiment

Evaluating whether the commentary surrounding your activation was positive and aligned with your brand’s values.

Engagement

High volumes of saves, shares and comments indicate that content hit the mark for viewers, offering genuine cultural value.

Conversion tracking

Using trackable links and promo codes to directly measure traffic and sales generated during the tournament fortnight or surrounding windows.

How The Goat Agency builds Grand Slam influencer campaigns

We specialise in data-driven creator campaigns that ride high on the unique cultural moments and buzz of global sporting events. Goat blends real-time data insights and cultural understanding to make sure our influencer campaigns win game, set and match for your brand.

Our high-impact sports activations have included the likes of the Persil Padel campaign, which successfully introduced a sport to an entirely new audience through targeted creator content. For globally dominant sporting moments like Wimbledon and the US Open, the sky’s the limit.

Ready to activate at Wimbledon or the US Open?

If your brand wants to get on the court and serve a high-performing creator campaign for the next Grand Slam, drop us a line to start planning now.