Wimbledon chiefs have decided against renaming Centre Court as part of the All England Club’s expansion project. The redevelopment will add 38 new tennis courts and an 8,000-seat arena at nearby Wimbledon Park.
Planning and legal background
The proposals initially received planning permission from the Greater London Authority in 2024. The Save Wimbledon Park group subsequently launched a legal challenge, which resulted in the High Court granting the All England Club permission to proceed with its redevelopment plans in July 2025.
The project would see the Wimbledon tennis site triple in size, with the intention of holding qualifying matches on-site and also creating a new public park. However, the Grand Slam does not plan to rebrand Centre Court as part of the £200 million project.
Commercial stance
“I’m not sure it’s Wimbledon style to have a naming right on a court,” Wimbledon’s marketing and commercial director Usama Al-Qassab told City AM. “We believe in our traditions, and Wimbledon is the brand. That is the Championships, and our players are our actors on the most amazing stage and field of play.”
On the Grand Slam’s approach to sponsorship deals, he added: “We choose to have a clean court, which means that it stands out, versus having logo soup, as we call it, and we find ways of being able to have very unique propositions for each of our official partners.”
“There’s a world of opportunity. We are incredibly pleased with our official partnership portfolio. You don’t see it chop and change like you do in other places and other tournaments, and that is because we add true value and we work long term with them on very specific plans.”
Partners and attendance
Wimbledon has 17 official partners, with Pimm’s and skincare brand La Roche-Posay joining the tournament’s list of sponsors earlier this year. The Grand Slam’s long-standing partnership with Slazenger began in 1902, nearing its 125th anniversary, while Rolex first struck a deal with Wimbledon in 1978.
The recent Championships saw Wimbledon set a new attendance record of 550,151 spectators across the tournament. However, the All England Club believes the expansion project is necessary to help the Grand Slam stay at the top of the sport.
Describing the vision behind the Wimbledon Park plans, the All England Club previously said: “The Wimbledon Park Project is central to maintaining Wimbledon’s position at the pinnacle of tennis, whilst at the same time offering significant social, economic and environmental improvements for both the local community and all of London.”
“The project will not only ensure Wimbledon remains at the pinnacle of the sport, but also help us reach our net zero targets, to becoming environment positive.”
