Will eSports replace Wimbledon tennis?

On the 12th of September London saw Brad Zellman of Scotland become the first ever Wimbledon eChampion.

After a series of qualifiers and a final tournament, played on TopSpin 2K25 at the All England Club, he emerged victorious, gaining a one of a kind gold plated PlayStation 5, engraved with his name and the historical achievement and moment in sports.

But with technology advancing ever faster, could eSports be the next phase of the world- renowned Wimbledon tennis and sports all over the world? 

Electronic sports are on the rise, with competitive gaming becoming more and more recognised. Examples of this include the Fortnite World Cup and the FIFA world cup.

Across the globe, eSports have experienced rapid growth, as tournaments began offering larger prizes and attracting bigger audiences.

Today, not only is eSports and gaming now recognised as a profession, but these professionals train diligently, guided by coaches and living rather similarly to that of a professional athlete.

Teams in eSports are looking more like traditional sporting teams, with owners, managers etc. Furthermore, eSports has been an opportunity for merchandise sales, generating millions year on year and sponsorship.

Now the line seems to blur between traditional sports and eSports.   

So, what does this mean for Wimbledon Tennis?

With all the research going into the rapid growing industry that is eSports, it has become clear that this is not just a trend but rather a new culture in the field of sports and leisure being born.

However, the future of this doesn’t seem to be just one or the other but rather to complement one another and benefit from each other.

This could very well be the same case with Wimbledon Tennis, having two tournaments, Wimbledon Tennis and Wimbledon eTennis.

This could have many positive effects such as boosting the local economy and attracting even more tourism.

Despite this there will always be the thing boding all competitive sports events and that is us, the fans.  

When I asked for the opinion of others Miss Paterson, a physical education teacher at Wimbledon High School stated: 'I believe there is definitely a place for eSports but not as a replacement of physical sport. I would hate to see screens dominate every aspect of life. And believe physical sport should be left to be as technology free as possible. I can see an eTennis tournament run alongside Wimbledon to widen the audience. However, I believe eSports should be kept separate from physical sport.', this shows that some people are ready for the events to coexist but not for them to replace physical sport.  

 One major difference to note is that in eSports women and men could play together.

Even today, it can be seen in traditional sports that men's leagues tend to be more popular and more well known than women's.

With eSports there is a potential for the gender gap in sporting events to be bridged and stereotypes to be challenged.  

 So, are eSports the new advancement for Wimbledon Tennis?

Potentially yes, introducing a new era of competition and entertainment, but then again only time will tell.