How Australian Open Hit the Jackpot with NFTs
The Australian Open courts this year have been transformed into a patchwork of countless imaginary squares, each measuring a mere 19x19 cm. Yet, each of these squares holds its own unique treasure: a precious NFT.
Novak Djokovic, the Serbian tennis sensation, made a stunning match-winning serve, claiming his 22nd Grand Slam tournament victory. The ball that sealed his triumph landed on a particular square on the court, numbered 1174, and an NFT Artball was minted for this precise location. The lucky owner of this one-of-a-kind digital collectible was rewarded with two tickets to the 2024 Grand Slam tournament.Thanks to the Hawk-Eye video camera network and the organizers of the Australian Open who acknowledged the persistent significance of NFT and Web3 technologies, this grand reward became a reality.
The Grand Slam viewers were swept up in the excitement of the tennis tournament, fully immersed in every moment.
Wherever they were in the world, they were either getting up early, or staying up late, to watch the end of the matches, because they wanted to see where the match point landedRidley Plummer explains
From conception to execution, he led the Web3 strategy for the Australian Open. Last year, over 6,700 NFT Artballs were sold on the Ethereum blockchain, with an average of two unique tokens purchased per fan. The Artballs were sold for 0.067 ETH (or 278 Australian dollars at the time of minting on January 22, 2022). This year, almost 2,500 NFTs have already been minted.
Palmer, however, did not stop at NFTs alone. Collaborating with the Run it Wild studio, Australians created a virtual Australian Open in the Decentraland metaverse last year. In 2022, the digital tennis tournaments were attended by sports enthusiasts from 150 countries around the globe.
We shouldn’t just put down our tools and walk away because the market’s having its challengesRidley Plummer believes
The use of new technologies like Web3 and NFTs entails various external factors that come into play. The Australian Open serves as an example of how innovative companies can encounter both triumphs and setbacks.
Despite the prevailing pessimism about the crypto winter and the declining NFT market, Artball owners remain highly enthusiastic about the advantages offered by the token issuers. Notably, the organizers have installed a total of three hundred cameras that capture exclusive content, separate from the storylines of sports broadcasts. This means that Artball holders can gain access to private warm-ups and tennis player training sessions that are typically not available to the general public.
Artball holders also have the privilege of pre-ordering tickets, obtaining a pass for the championship's final week, and accessing selected United Cup matches. At the Australian Open, NFT Artball holders are compared to frequent flyers with special passenger status who use the services of a specific airline.
