As the tennis season climaxes and the most prestigious tournament. Wimbledon, fills our screens, we take a look at the best NFT projects in the sport.
The main aspects to look for when purchasing an NFT include their price, the credibility of those selling them. The marketing channels the sellers have at their disposal, and the utilities attached to each token.
Here is our listing of the most notable tennis NFT collections and how we feel they rank against each other:
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US Open NFT (3/10)
The US Open has NFTs consisting of five-second video clips of tournament champions holding their trophies. They look nice, and when released, they were new to the NFT space. But how many times are you going to watch a video of a singles and doubles champion holding a trophy?
French Open NFT Project (1/10)
The recent French Open is a good example of an NFT cash grab, effectively offering virtual seats as tokens. Yes, that’s right, not an actual seat—one of 5000 virtual images of a seat. Purchasers have bought the images for significant sums and have been unable to resell them on OpenSea. Plus, the marketing for this project was next to none.
The Ballman Project (6/10)
Stan Wawrinka’s partnership with The Ballman Project offers a digital edition of Top Trumps with different players holding varying values in a virtual tennis world.
15 Love NFT (9/10)
This project scored the highest for being modestly priced, having founders with experience in the tennis, NFT, and business worlds. And offering a wide range of utility.
15 Love is set to be a launchpad for future tennis players, brands. And companies interested in joining the Web3 space. It will have ambassadors as part of the project, including tennis pros, legends, and multiple Wimbledon winners.
The project will also hold metaverse tennis events with special guests and give users a chance to win unique tennis prizes and memorabilia. Even the opportunity to hit with the pros in real life is on offer.
The tokens consist of 7,777 unique 3D tennis racquets with differing rarity and utility. As the project launches during the second week of Wimbledon. Only time will tell how successful the project will be, though it is promising. Currently, 15 Love is hosting giveaways on its website and Twitter.
The Centenary Collection (3/10)
All England Croquet and Tennis Club offer NFTs celebrating 100 years of Wimbledon’s Centre Court. Purchasers need to put their name in a ballot to have a chance at ownership. Those chosen receive an NFT with photos of Wimbledon players through the decades.
A word of warning: you have no choice in the decade you are given. Furthermore, a price point of £500 is expensive in the current NFT market and has been criticized by some crypto community members and the press.
Australia Open NFT 6/10
AO metaverse is a collection of unique, artistic, multi-colored digital tennis balls. The utilities attached allow holders to own a piece of a virtual court. During the Australian Open, the project hosted a virtual AO event in Decentraland, a 3D virtual reality platform in the metaverse which allowed any tennis fan to access this virtual world.
Nadal NFT (2/10)
These NFTs celebrate Rafael Nadal, the most prominent male Grand Slam winner of all time, using digital images of his great triumphs. While Nadal is a tennis icon, the lack of utility attached to these NFTs makes it difficult to score them highly in our ranking. Unless you are an avid Nadal fan, there is little to like here.
Juan Carlos Ferrero (3/10)
These NFTs have digital artwork and include a 3D animated video of the five-time Davis Cup finalist. However, there are no utilities on offer, and while his tennis record is enviable for many, Ferrero’s legacy cannot be compared to Grand Slam winners who have lent their names to other collections.
Patrick Mouratoglou The Coach NFT (5/10)
Collectors of this token can access individual coaching sessions with Patrick Mouratoglou, the coach of Serena Williams, amongst other experiences. The project could develop into something valuable for aspiring players, but it is too early to call.
Andy Murray NFT (3/10)
Andy Murray released an NFT collection celebrating his Wimbledon win in 2013, with the most lucrative token selling for $177,000. Most NFTs on offer had little or no utility and were viewed as a cash grab by many on launch. But, to Andy Murray and NFT fans, the project was something different.
The NFTs are typically bought on the project’s website but can be purchased and resold on OpenSea using Ethereum. While you need a digital wallet to store the tokens, many sites will explain how to go about this process if you are new to crypto or NFTs.
NFT usage is at an early stage of its development but will likely be transformational over the next few years. For instance, leading expert Gary Vaynerchuk believes that in 10-15 years, most tickets we purchase will be in NFT form. They could broaden the interactions between tennis players and fans, and niche communities could develop to challenge other forms of social media. In the next decade, Wimbledon tickets look likely to become NFTs. Hopefully, fans will no longer have to queue for hours to get them.