The Evolution of Tennis Sponsorships: How Brands Are Targeting Gen Z Fans in 2025

Tennis is one of those amazing sports that seems to captivate almost everyone who sits down to watch a match. The simplicity and elegance of this iconic showdown has captured the heart of millions around the world, and major tournaments attract countless devoted viewers who enjoy supporting their favorite players.

The game of tennis is a largely individual sport, meaning that the most successful players can build a high level of personal fame, getting recognised all across the world—because of this, sponsorships and business deals are rife throughout the tennis scene, as brands aim to associate themselves with the hottest players of the moment. This sporting sponsorship landscape has been evolving significantly in recent years, as leading brands aim to capture a younger Gen Z market.

Let’s take a look at how brands have adapted their marketing approach to suit the tennis fans of 2025!

Social Media Campaigns

These days, the world’s best tennis players make money not only from winning titles, but also from major brand deals, partnerships and sponsorships, which all massively help fund their sporting careers. As technology has evolved over the years, the format of these sponsorships has changed, and today’s tennis stars are more likely to feature in a sponsored social media post than a television advert.

Brands that want to capture a Gen Z audience have realised that young people access most of their information through platforms like Instagram and TikTok, and have adapted their promotional methods accordingly. Most of today’s leading figures in sport have their own social media pages, including tennis legends like Novak Djokovic who has almost 16 million followers on Instagram.

Brands have therefore begun to target Gen Z fans by preparing affiliated social media content with leading players. For example, major labels can reach the new generation of tennis fans and promote themselves to this tech-loving base of customers if a popular player is seen wearing their clothes in an Instagram post or given a shoutout in a TikTok video.

Online Gaming Sponsorships

Along with huge investments in social media campaigns, major businesses are also targeting Gen Z tennis fans by entering the popular world of online gaming. Amongst the younger demographic of tennis fans today, esports tournaments and iGaming are highly popular, so brands are now regularly partnering with tennis video game developers and hosting virtual tournaments in order to tap into this exciting new world of entertainment.

In Canada, the new iGaming scene in regions like Ontario has meant brands are regularly promoting some of the best casino games in Canada during major tennis tournaments, and this has strengthened the longstanding connection between popular sports and online gaming sites. Gen Z consumers are known for seeking out extra layers of entertainment, and this trend has contributed to the growing connection between esports, iGaming operators, and major tennis tournaments.

As online gaming technology continues to advance and develop, the possibilities for tennis brand deals will certainly expand further over the coming years, and we can expect to see an even closer relationship between in-person tennis matches and online gaming experiences in the future.

Environmental Sustainability Initiatives

Whilst tennis players make a lot of money from major sponsorship deals, many leading figures in the sport also regularly attempt to use their platforms for good by supporting environmental causes and promoting sustainability initiatives. Leading brands have certainly capitalised on this trend in recent years, especially because they have realised that their desired Gen Z customer base is highly interested in matters of social justice and environmental sustainability.

In order to maintain a positive brand image amongst the conscientious young audience, the companies that sponsor tennis tournaments have worked hard to incorporate better sustainability measures into their products and promotional methods. On the ground at Grand Slams today, keep an eye out for all the climate-friendly trends and you will quickly see how these ethical Gen Z priorities have had a huge influence on the nature of modern tennis sponsorships.

At today’s tennis matches and famous tournaments, prominent corporate sponsors are now prioritising carbon-neutral event planning and eco-friendly merchandise, in order to boost their reputation as an environmentally friendly business and keep Gen Z fans firmly on their side.

Ultimately, it’s clear that tennis sponsorships have seen a major transformation as brands seek to capture a new generation of sports fans. For leading brands today, social media is the biggest focus, as these popular platforms are the best and easiest way to get messages across to a younger audience of tennis lovers. The world of online gaming and esports is also a prominent feature for tennis sponsorships today as this hugely popular form of entertainment continues to capture the Gen Z demographic.

It will be fascinating to see how new technology creates even further possibilities for online tennis promotions—expect to see increasing use of VR (virtual reality) and AR (augmented reality) technology, as brands work hard to create a more immersive and gamified marketing technique.

Lastly, sustainability is all the rage right now in the world of tennis, as major labels aim to boost their reputation amongst this environmentally conscious age group. Whatever happens in the future, the preferences of the youngest sports fans will be the deciding factor for the landscape of tennis sponsorships!