Wimbledon joins the NFT craze: Andy Murray’s tennis data turned into digital art
In an industry first, former tennis champion Andy Murray has partnered with acclaimed digital artist Refik Anadol to release an official Wimbledon art NFT (Non-Fungible Token). The project, dubbed “The Exposition,” merges 18 years of Murray’s tennis data with cutting-edge art, creating a novel fusion of digital art, sport, and data science.
“The Exposition” is already on sale
Anadol, best known for his “Unsupervised” exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), utilized his unique algorithm to develop this Ethereum-based open edition NFT artwork.
The algorithm harnesses the power of millions of data inputs, including statistics, motion, audio, and visual data, to generate captivating color bursts representing the “drama, the rivalries, and the Championship victories” of Murray’s ongoing Wimbledon career.
The Exposition NFTs went on sale yesterday on Manifold.xyz, coinciding with Murray’s second-round match at Wimbledon 2023. While Murray was eliminated from the tournament, the NFTs remain available until July 16, priced at $147 each.
Perfect blend of digital art with sports data
According to the project description, the artwork “reimagines how high-performance sport data can be understood and enjoyed in a strikingly visual way.” This fusion of technology and sport aims to provide a unique perspective of Murray’s performance in the prestigious tennis tournament.
The NFT holders will have access to “future opportunities,” which include exclusive access to purchase a physical print edition of the NFT.
Murray’s collaboration with Wimbledon and Anadol does not end here. The creators are expected to release more collaborations in the coming months. They have already captured data from Murray’s latest Wimbledon run with an eye on future projects.
Anadol, who won acclaim for his algorithmic art displayed on a massive video wall at MoMA’s “Unsupervised” exhibit, will guide the inaugural Wimbledon NFT collection before joining forces on the project’s next phase.
Murray is no stranger to the world of NFTs. In 2021, he was featured in a series of Wimbledon-themed NFTs created by WENEW, a startup co-founded by renowned NFT artist Mike “Beeple” Winkelmann. Among these, the rarest NFT, which showcased footage of one of his tournament wins, fetched nearly $178,000.
