Wimbledon’s Center Court has become as much a filming location as a sporting venue this fortnight, and fans are not happy about it. Event sponsors have hired dozens of influencers to cover the competition for their followers, and the tournament is increasingly being billed as “one big influencer event.”

Some of the trends have been led by premium brands such as Rolex, Emirates, Swarovski, and Evian, which have invited creators with hundreds of thousands of followers to join them. Molly-Mae Hague told her 8.7 million Instagram followers she was there as an Evian guest, while Made in Chelsea’s Ashley James, social media star Daisy Tomlinson and “corporate girl” influencer Jemima Grace have all featured prominently in Center Court content this year. The content often centered on Pimm’s, strawberries and cream, and outfit shots rather than the tennis itself. 

It’s made even more frustrating to see how difficult it is to gain access for real fans. More than 10,000 people had arrived at the queue by 8.30 am on a single day this week, prompting All England Club chief executive Sally Bolton to warn fans against even traveling. 

“We are advising people, if they haven’t already set off to travel, not to travel, because the queue is effectively full,” she said. A situation that unfolds as the sponsor-invited creators walk directly into premium seats, without taking part in any queues. 

That dichotomy, between people waiting in lines for hours hoping to get a ticket and influencers coming in by invitation, has flowed into the reaction online. 

Fans pile on: “wasted tickets” and Wimbledon’s access problem 

One fan summed up the mood bluntly, arguing the event has lost its identity entirely. “Wimbledon is just full of instagram influencers. Barely any real tennis fans. It used to be an accessible event for real tennis fans and now it’s just a clown show of people on tik tok,” they wrote, a comment that set the tone for much of the reaction that followed.

Others focused squarely on the ticketing unfairness. “It’s a shame Wimbledon choose to waste their tickets on influencers who aren’t even interested in tennis. Especially when it’s impossible to get tickets in the ballot,” one fan said, pointing directly at how scarce access already is for genuine supporters.

A similar complaint followed, this time aimed at hospitality allocations rather than just general admission. “There’s more ‘influencers’ and hospitality there it seems and they’re not always tennis fans so the court tickets are wasted on them! Better putting more in the ballot for true fans,” another fan wrote.

Some widened the complaint beyond Wimbledon itself, suggesting the problem is only going to get worse elsewhere. “If you think ‘influencers’ are ruining Wimbledon check out Aus Open next year. Insufferable,” one supporter warned.

Others simply found their escape in a different sport altogether. “The best thing about the FIFA World Cup is that there are no d*mba*s grifting influencers posting their sh*t opinions on Wimbledon,” another fan wrote, turning their frustration into a jab at tennis rather than football.