‘Craziest flics’, ‘best drip’ and ‘best kicks’. This is French Open coverage — TikTok style. These social media posts (covering pictures, style and shoes at the Grand Slam tennis tournament) produced by media group Overtime are part of an attempt to chase the holy grail of modern sports — an active and engaged Gen Z fan base.
The so-called TikTok generation have shorter attention spans and less money, but they are the future of viewership.
Tennis, with its traditionally older crowds and outgoing generation of icons including Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams, faces a particularly steep challenge: finding the stars of the future and making them resonate with a new generation of viewers.
The answer lies with the current crop of Gen Z players. Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner are already big names based on their burgeoning rivalry and Grand Slam titles, while Ben Shelton and Jack Draper are also making waves.
Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz captivated audiences in their French Open singles final earlier this month © Ian MacNicol/Getty Images
