The BNP Paribas Open marks the primary match after the WTA’s rebranding launch, bringing a delicate but important change within the sport’s visible id. Whereas the brand shift could seem minor, behind the scenes, gamers are keen in regards to the contemporary path it alerts for the longer term. Right here’s what Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff, and Jessica Pegula needed to say in regards to the modifications, as they spoke to the press in Indian Wells.
Aryna Sabalenka is hopeful that the WTA will seize the chance to focus on the gamers as people, not simply athletes. “I would like them to show our personalities a little bit more, just so people can actually see and know who we are outside of the tennis court,” she shared.
The present world primary desires that refreshed illustration to be a optimistic and flattering one. Laughing, she advised the media, “I want the WTA to post better pictures of us, not where we’re looking like really ugly and wrong.” The Belarusian believes that these modifications might function “a good beginning for our sport to explode.”
As somebody who doesn’t watch a lot tv however consumes leisure totally on her telephone, Coco Gauff is keen to see the WTA embrace TikTok content material that mirrors the traits in different sports activities. “The WTA has a plan in place, and they asked for feedback. That was the main thing I noticed,” the American defined.
At simply twenty years outdated, Gauff acknowledges the potential for the tour to succeed in new audiences with a social technique that goes past the WTA model itself. “I feel like the crossover content does well with the ATP, so I would love to see some more,” she advised the media, expressing her enthusiasm for increasing the tour’s social media presence.
Jessica Pegula brings a singular perspective, not solely as a prime participant but in addition as a long-standing member of the participant council and an NFL insider. When requested in regards to the significance of the rebrand, the American supplied a measured response: “I think it’s nice to see a little refresh. It shows that we want to take advantage of the era that we’re living in, as far as women’s sports, not just tennis, is having a big jump this year—whether it’s basketball, soccer, or anything like that. I think it’s the moment.”
Tennis, because the thirty-one-year-old famous, is in a singular place to attach with a world viewers: “We’re so lucky that we have an international sport where you have all these different types of stories from players all over the world. I think that’s kind of the message they’re really going to want to send—to connect with those fans and take advantage of all the amazing athletes that we have on tour.”