Wimbledon CEO jokes Royal Marine security would ‘sort out’ influencers

Royal Marine commandos providing security at Wimbledon would love nothing more than to “sort out” disruptive social‑media influencers at the tournament, its chief executive joked.

The US Open accredited 100 influencers and content creators for this year’s tournament.

However, a match involving two‑time champion Naomi Osaka was disrupted when a group of influencers conducted a photo shoot, sparking a debate about tennis etiquette.

Richard Atkinson, interim chief executive of the All England Lawn Tennis Club, said Wimbledon does not accredit influencers, and BBC Sport sources indicate that this is unlikely to change soon.

Atkinson noted that influencers are a “crucial part of the marketing mix” and banning them outright would be “nonsense.” He added that any brought in by brands would be “tightly chaperoned.”

He also endorsed SW19’s traditional “self‑policing” culture, where fans are expected to respect the game.

Following the US Open incident, world number four Coco Gauff said it was important to welcome a “new demographic” to the sport, adding, “I think it’s just, follow the etiquette of the sport. That’s all.”

Wimbledon’s chief also made clear that he does not expect a repeat at the All England Club.

“We don’t have a category of accredited people called influencers,” Atkinson told a panel at Leaders Week London.

“That said, influencers are clearly a crucial part of building a brand worldwide in the third decade of the 21st century.

“What you have to do is keep them under control. One of our major partners, Polo Ralph Lauren, will have their influencer, but they are all tightly chaperoned.”

He described the US Open atmosphere as “very New York City,” noting, “It’s dead easy for someone who has just bought a ticket to show up there with their ring lights and literally start broadcasting in the middle of a match.

“If you tried to do that at Wimbledon, I think you’d probably have some Royal Marine Commando…

He then joked, “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 commonly used by content creators—to SW19.

Atkinson noted, however, that the media landscape has evolved and suggested there is a role for embracing influencers and content creators to keep Wimbledon relevant.

“It’s just a crucial bit of the marketing mix, of course it is,” he said.

“We’re not in the world of newspapers and television anymore, right? The world has changed. It’s really important—though it sounds cliché—to ‘sort it out in a Wimbledon way.’ To say we’ll have no influencers at Wimbledon, however, is obviously nonsense.”

“Our marketing team works meticulously to ensure they operate consistently with our Wimbledon brand and preserve that magic I referred to earlier.”

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