The Billie Jean King Cup is the world’s largest international team competition in women’s tennis. More than 100 nations have played in the tournament this year – the LTA, the home of tennis in Britain, has teamed up with TikTok to bring the match to users across the UK.
This month, 16 teams – including Great Britain and Mexico – are competing in play-off ties for a place in the qualifiers for the 2022 Billie Jean King Cup Finals. The British team are taking on the Mexicans over two days from Friday 16 April to Saturday 17 April at the National Tennis Centre in Roehampton, London.
We can’t wait to bring fans closer to the action and virtually support their favourite British stars. Not only will this be a nail-biting match for fans, but it’s also the first-ever live sporting event broadcast on TikTok in the UK! So what are you waiting for?!
Here’s how and when you can tune in:
- The first match will take place on Friday 16 April at 2pm – 5pm BST on the official @LTA channel
- The first singles match will start on Saturday 17 April at 11.30am – 3pm, and 4.10pm BST on the official @LTA channel
Leading the Brits today will be Heather Watson, who has been a part of 35 British Billie Jean King Cup squads – putting her sixth in the all-time list for most Billie Jean King Cup squads made by a British woman. She’s also a brilliant TikTok creator who regularly shares hilarious comedy sketches and created her own ‘Quarantine Triathlon‘ training in lockdown!
TikTok is working with the LTA to put a spotlight on all the incredible #womeninsports and tennis in all its forms – from the professional game to grassroots activity. The LTA will also be producing a wide range of content around the event, including behind the scenes footage, match highlights and player Q&As.
Adam Hewlett, Head of Brand Marketing at the LTA, says: “This year’s Billie Jean King Cup – the world cup of women’s tennis – will be like no other. With no supporters cheering from the stands, we are bringing the courtside experience to everyone at home! Welcoming fans both new and old to join us for two days of world-class tennis across the LTA’s TikTok channel.
With more and more live events moving to social media platforms, we have a huge opportunity to lead the industry in producing the UK’s first live sports coverage on TikTok. Our channel will be the home of all the event build-up, best moments, behind the scenes footage and live match action from this weekend’s tie – showcasing the stars of women’s tennis.
This is only the start of our journey working with TikTok. Play Your Way is about inspiring a new wave of players – of all ages and backgrounds – to pick up a racket and we are always looking for innovative ways to bring people closer to our professional and grassroots games. Our partnership with TikTok will play a vital role in opening tennis up and getting more people to give tennis a go.”
This year tennis has found a home on TikTok, with over 3.2 billion views of #tennis video content. Accounts like the LTA share everything from best tennis bloopers to fitness livestreams and even new trends like tennis themed yoga.
We’re also seeing more tennis players, like Heather, experiment with the platform to find new ways to engage with fans – like Ukranian player Elina Svitolina who describes herself as a “Tennis pro – sometimes, TikToker – always”. She loves showing fans behind the scenes of her Tennis world – from meditating, training in her hotel room and how to keep that positive energy!