Throw away the Wimbledon whites, grab a friend, rewrite the tennis rulebook and get on the courts. The summer campaign from the Lawn Tennis Association, #YourCourtYourRules by The&Partnership encourages people to get involved and play tennis in any way which works for them.

The joy filled campaign is designed to both challenge perceptions of tennis and drive participation in the sport. Kicking off with a world-first tennis court cover at cinch Championships, the court cover featured a striking image of a female player making a bold statement at the renowned event of the ATP tour. The 78ft long court cover gave audiences a visual spectacle ahead of the event.  

Beyond the court cover, the #YourCourtYourRules campaign aims to empower people to find tennis opportunities on and off the court to get involved in tennis in whatever way suits them. It is the third campaign under LTA’s brand platform ‘Play Your Way’, which is an inclusive invitation to encourage everyone and anyone to play the sport.

At the heart of the campaign is an energetic film directed by Joe Wilson at Bullion Productions. The film shows people having fun and getting involved in tennis in less conventional ways such as with more players than usual or calling an out ball in to keep the game flowing. The film encourages people to push the boundaries of the sport’s traditional rules. 

The film also shows the evolution of the sport in recent years by contrasting black and white archive footage of ‘old tennis’ with high-energy clips of the vibrant, diverse tennis of today. From start to finish the film features people of all ages, backgrounds and tennis abilities having fun and engaging on the court.

“This year’s grassroots participation campaign has been strategically designed to encourage male and female audiences to pick up a racket and play tennis … tennis that can be played on your terms, on your court with your rules. We continue to make tennis more relevant, more accessible, more welcoming and more enjoyable and it really doesn’t matter how good you are … wherever you play … play your way.” explained Richard Daish, Marketing and Commercial Director at the LTA.

In a bid to continue to take tennis to new audiences and integrate it further into culture, the campaign also features TikTok Creator activity from Tom Malone Jr, Lia Lewis, Hana Martin and Addis Miller. Beyond the cinch Championships, LTA and The&Partnership, have taken #YourCourtYourRules into the community, via a vast array of colourful, bold OOH, including flyposter takeovers and geo-targeted 6s driving people to their local courts and DOOH 6s. The posters celebrate the individuality and personalities of everyday tennis players empowering the nation to get out and play.

By spotlighting real people and encouraging participation and enjoyment over sticking to tradition, the LTA and The&Partnership are making strides toward democratising tennis and creating a more inclusive, diverse future for the sport.