In anticipation of this year’s Championships, The All England Lawn Tennis Club has unveiled its 2023 campaign, Always Like Never Before. This year’s creative platform features a historic series of ‘like never before’ moments at SW19 and, in an exciting and contemporary move, Wimbledon has joined forces with Scottish-American hip-hop and electronic producer, composer and DJ, Hudson Mohawke, on an electrifying soundtrack to set the tone for the launch.
Spearheading the campaign is a rousing trailer which fuses a mixture of archive footage, illustration, animation and photography to reimagine historic Wimbledon moments as timeless, epic filmic posters. Each montage heroes and immortalises iconic Wimbledon moments from the likes of Serena and Venus Williams, Roger Federer, and Rafael Nadal, Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe juxtaposing them with contemporary history makers and rising stars like Coco Gauff, Nick Kyrgios, Ons Jabeur and Alfie Hewett.
The trailer recognises the historic and career-defining moments that have taken place on the world’s most prestigious tennis stage, Wimbledon. Established tennis heroes take a bow, and the viewer is invited to engage with a new generation of tennis talent who are ready to break the mould and re-write the record books. The trailer can be viewed here and downloaded here.
Usama Al-Qassab, Marketing & Commercial Director for Wimbledon, commented: “Today we stand at a pivotal moment in tennis. A raft of new players are coming through the ranks, full of passion and hunger, and a new generation is primed to rival established champions and write their names into mark the tour. It’s an exciting time and we wanted to reflect this exciting mood in our new trailer as a day in Wimbledon is set to always be like never before.”
Produced with creative partners at McCann London, the trailer skilfully weaves together archive action with various creative techniques to produce a series of stunning posters.
Known for his influential and award-winning work in hip-hop and electronic music, Hudson Mohawke creates a bespoke soundtrack as the backdrop to the Always Like Never Before trailer. With credentials that include producing for several chart-topping artists and more recently going viral on TikTok with his song ‘Cbat’, Hudson Mohawke’s track Pushing On (Always Like Never Before) produces a unique sound to help mark an exciting chapter for The Championships.
Hudson Mohawke, producer of the Trailer soundtrack, commented: “I’ve been watching Wimbledon on TV since I was a young boy, so to be a part of this year’s trailer feels surreal. We’re seeing a new wave of legends define history in the tennis world, and I wanted to make a soundtrack that reflected this juncture and the tantalising mood that comes with it – it’s something that’s hard to put your finger on but you can just feel it in your chest. I’ve used terms such as ‘fearless’, ‘strong’, ‘stand my ground’ and ‘holding on’ in the vocals, by GiGi Grombacher, to echo the nature of competitive sport and just how hungry this next generation of stars is for success.”
Speaking about the trailer, former world No.1 men’s wheelchair tennis player, Alfie Hewett commented: “Tennis has given me so many opportunities throughout my life and I’ll always be grateful for that. Every match I play – whether it’s at Wimbledon or on tour around the world – is a chance to inspire a new generation of young people to pick up a racket and enjoy the sport. Always Like Never Before is a great concept for this year’s trailer. There’s so much history and heritage at Wimbledon, but each year there’s a new story to be written and I can’t wait to be part of it.”
American Coco Gauff, whose epic win against Venus Williams is showcased in the trailer, added: “I was only 15 years old when I made my Grand Slam main draw debut at Wimbledon in 2019 and seeing the match against Venus in the trailer brings back all the emotions from that day. I’m really looking forward to returning in a few weeks and hopefully playing back on Centre Court.”
Cameron Norrie, British No.1, added: “Playing at Wimbledon is something every tennis player dreams of. It’s particularly special to me as it’s my home court and the support I get from the crowd is unbelievable. There’s nothing like the sound of a British crowd cheering for one of their own and I can’t wait to play there in a few weeks’ time.”
Tommy Smith, Managing Director from McCann London, commented: “Wimbledon is simultaneously a tournament steeped in tradition, resolutely delivering “tennis in an English garden” year on year, whilst also a technologically advanced theatre for unparalleled sporting excellence. This year felt the perfect time to shine a light on that paradox with our Always Like Never Before creative that features a set of epic moments, all witnessed at SW19.”
Launching today, Monday 12 June, just a month before The Championships, the Always Like Never Before campaign will be shown across Wimbledon’s owned digital and social media channels, as well as via our global broadcast partners, celebrating the icons of tennis and welcoming the new era of stars. The Championships Qualifying Competition begins on Monday 26 June before the main draw action of the Fortnight begins on Monday 3 July.
