Wimbledon boss jokes military would love to 'sort out' influencers

Wimbledon’s interim chief executive Richard Atkinson quipped that Royal Marine commandos would welcome the opportunity to “sort out” influencers who disturb play, even as he acknowledged the growing importance of social‑media creators in sport’s marketing mix. Speaking at Leaders Week London, Atkinson noted that the US Open had accredited 100 influencers and content creators for its current tournament. He recalled a recent incident in which a group of influencers conducting a photo shoot interrupted a match featuring two‑time champion Naomi Osaka, prompting a reminder about tennis etiquette. Atkinson told BBC Sport that Wimbledon does not offer accreditation to influencers and that sources indicate the policy is unlikely to change in the near future. “We don’t have a class of accredited people called influencers,” he said. While he described influencers as a “crucial portion of the selling mix,” Atkinson warned that banning them outright would be “nonsense.” Instead, any influencer brought to the championships by a brand would be “tightly chaperoned.” He cited Polo Ralph Lauren as an example, saying the partner “will have their influencer, but they are all tightly chaperoned.” The interim chief executive also defended the tournament’s traditional “self‑policing” ethos at SW19, where fans are expected to respect the action on court. After the US Open disruption, world No. 4 Coco Gauff said welcoming a “new demographic” to tennis is important, but added, “I think it's fair, just follow the etiquette of the sport. That's all.” Atkinson contrasted the atmosphere at Flushing Meadows with that at Wimbledon, describing the US Open as “very New York City” and “still casual for someone who has just bought a ticket to show up there with their ring lights and virtually start broadcasting in the middle of a match.” He warned, “If you tried to do that at Wimbledon, I think you'd most likely have some Royal Marine Commando…” before delivering his joke: “We do have military. And they would like nothing more, I suspect, than to sort out some influencer.” Fans will also be prohibited from bringing portable ring lights—a piece of equipment frequently used by content creators—to the All England Club grounds. Atkinson acknowledged that the media landscape has evolved and suggested there is room to embrace influencers and content creators to keep Wimbledon relevant. “It's just a crucial part of the marketing mix, of course it is,” he said. “We're not in the world of newspapers and TV anymore, right? The world has changed. But it's still really important, it's a part of a cliché, you Read the full story at BBC News →