Kiwis might not celebrate a Wimbledon champion at the Grand Slam event this year, but one New Zealand company is still hoping to hit a winner.
Glorious Digital, a creative NFT studio and marketplace, has signed a deal with the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, best known for hosting the legendary grass-based tennis tournament every year.
The deal hopes to bring "beauty and joy" to collectors and fans by giving them the opportunity to relive their favourite moments while owning them as NFTs.
"Something we love about sport is that fans passionately relate to and recall special moments in sport that have meaning and feeling for them," Tim Harper, chief executive of Glorious Digital, told Newshub.
"We relive these moments through conversation or watching highlights - but now people can own these moments as an NFT.
"The opportunity to guide Wimbledon in celebrating their unbelievable legacy and archive through the immortalisation of their images is incredibly exciting."
Alexandra Willis, communications and marketing director at the All England Club, said the private members organisation was in an ongoing pursuit of innovation, while preserving its traditions and ensuring Wimbledon remains relevant in the future.
"The emerging opportunities around Web 3.0 present a fascinating chance to celebrate Wimbledon by immortalising our history and presenting it to future generations," she said.
"Building on our initial collaboration with Andy Murray in 2021, we are excited to be exploring a very special collection to celebrate our history and share that globally with Wimbledon fans who have an interest in digital artworks."
The partnership emerged from "a shared passion" and has been a while in the making, Harper told Newshub.
"It's a conversation we've been having since late last year. Glorious immortalises masterpieces on the blockchain, in partnership with some of the world's best in sport, music and art. That's why we've partnered with Wimbledon."
Willis said that Wimbledon wanted to demonstrate it could be at the forefront of emerging trends while staying true to who it was and the choice of Glorious Digital was important.
"Ensuring that we worked with a partner who shared that ethos was critical," Willis said.
Exactly what the NFTs will look like, however, will remain under wraps for a while yet.
"We would love to tell you what the Wimbledon digital masterpiece release will look like, but we can't just yet," Harper told Newshub.
"What I can say is that it will be magnificent and glorious, and worthy of hanging on your wall, and it will provide feeling and meaning, especially if you're a tennis fan."
That will be a relief to Wimbledon's passionate fans, which Glorious Digital believes have high expectations.
"It's not lost on us that Wimbledon is hallowed ground and the spiritual home of tennis, and we are honoured by and respectful of this incredible opportunity to work with Wimbledon to immortalise its rich legacy on the Blockchain," Harper said.
Glorious Digital isn't the only Kiwi NFT company making waves in the digital world.
Non-Fungible Labs, creator of the Fluf World NFT rabbit collection, partnered with rapper Snoop Dogg to raise $1 million for the Auckland City Mission last year.
The creators of the cartoon bunnies is also working with Wellington-based game studio Beyond VR to ensure the virtual rabbit warrens each bunny owns is unique and special.
According to NFT marketplace OpenSea, the minimum you can expect to pay for a Kiwi-made bunny is currently 2.86 ether, around NZ$4500 at today's exchange rate.
