Wimbledon host first live eSports ‘Grand Slam’ Championships

The 2024 tennis season might be coming to an end, with just the ATP Tour finals set to take place in Turin, Italy, from November 10 to 17. But Wimbledon has returned with an extra special ace up its sleeve.

‌Historically known for hosting the most traditional and prestigious tennis tournament in the world, the All England Lawn Tennis Club has embraced technology one step further (move over Hawkeye and closed stadium roofs) in the form of entering the popular eSports arena, hosting the first live in-person TopSpin 2K25 Wimbledon eChamps final.

‌TopSpin 2K25 was launched earlier this year. The tennis-based computer game series has been around for more than a decade and is one of the most favoured simulations of all-time, featuring a host of tennis icons and superb gameplay across a variety of different surfaces, be in grass, hard or clay court.

‌The finalists will compete in the best of three sets and progress to the next round in a seeded knockout format.

‌The live final is set to take place within the hallowed grounds of SW19 on Thursday, September 12, featuring eight competitors who have qualified from around the globe battling it out to become the inaugural Wimbledon eChampion.

‌The champion will take home a unique gold-plated PlayStation 5 trophy with their name etched on it, together with an all-expenses paid trip to the 2025 Gentlemen’s Singles Final (not to mention those all important bragging rights!).

Gareth and Brad Zellman are two brothers from Scotland who have qualified for the final stages and dare to dream that one of them might follow in the digital footsteps of Andy Murray by winning Wimbledon on home turf.

The competition will be broadcast live on Wimbledon Twitch, YouTube, and TikTok from 1pm and is brought to you in connection with official sponsor American Express and backed by BLAST, which produces some of the world’s biggest eSports events.