WASHINGTON, December 2, 2020 (by Michael Dickens)

The WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) on Wednesday unveiled a new corporate identity to honor its past, present and future. It includes a new logo, marketing campaign – “WTA For The Game” — and an alignment of its tournament tiers that it hopes will provide greater consistency across professional tennis.

In a press release issued by the WTA from its St. Petersburg, Fla., headquarters, its new identity will help in “redefining the organization’s strength as a collective unit of inspiring athletes and tournaments.”

One of the highlights of the launch is a new “WTA For The Game” campaign that “highlights the driving forces of the sport, aimed at creating deeper fan connections.” It will include 30-second and one-minute commercial spots and influencer stories “that will be broadcast, published and posted across WTA player, tournament and affiliate channels.”

This is for the women of the past, present, and future who do it for the love of the game and everything in between.

This is for Us.

For You.

For Them.

For Her.

This is for the game. #WTAForTheGame pic.twitter.com/WcF31mhj23

— wta (@WTA) December 2, 2020

With the rebranding comes the WTA’s first logo redesign in 10 years, a silhouette of a female tennis player whose symbol “makes subtle references to the sport’s global nature, framing the athlete within a circle that evokes the universal spirit of the WTA’s platform.”

As part of the WTA’s rebrand, the organization announced a simpler, numerical naming system for its tournaments (WTA 1000, WTA 500, WTA 250, WTA 125) similar to the ATP Tour.

💪Here is the new era of @WTA

For breaking barriers💪 pic.twitter.com/eSiJ0Jjqzn

— Iga Świątek (@iga_swiatek) December 2, 2020

The WTA’s rebrand was developed by design agency Landor Australia and its new brand identity and marketing campaign will be fully integrated, including TV graphics, print materials, tournament branding, advertising and promotion as well as digital and social media.

“The WTA is built on the grit, passion and determination of generations of athletes and tournament promoters,” Mickey Lawler, President of the WTA and head of marketing initiatives, said in a WTA press release. “Our new logo embraces the visual language of tennis and celebrates heroic women’s who come together ‘For The Game.’ We will wear it as a badge of pride and a reminder of the power of unity among strong individuals – by joining forces, we build something bigger than ourselves.”

Welcome to the new era of the @WTA. I play for the game and something much bigger than myself. I play for the Fight. #WTAForTheGame pic.twitter.com/8LufaWTvLW

— Petra Kvitova (@Petra_Kvitova) December 2, 2020

According to Jessica Murphy, General Manager of Landor Australia, as quoted in a WTA press release: “From both the sporting and business perspective, we were inspired by the WTA’s inherent qualities of leadership, fearlessness and shared purpose, and aimed to deliver a brand strategy and visual platform that players and tournaments could use to amplify this powerful message. 

“Fans are enthralled by individual skill and athleticism, but they also invest deeply in what motivates these head-turning women on and off court. Exploring these driving forces – the similarities and differences – is a key element of the brand.”

Welcome to the new era of the @WTA 👏

I play for the game and something much bigger than myself. I play for the Fans. #WTAForTheGame pic.twitter.com/GYLDPDNpD5

— Simona Halep (@Simona_Halep) December 2, 2020

Part of the WTA’s rebrand includes a consistency in tournament tier and alignment – a “nomenclature system” – that will provide fans and consumers with a simpler way in which to identify WTA tournaments. “Moving forward, WTA events will now be categorized as WTA 1000 (incorporating the former Premier Mandatory and Premier 5 tournaments); WTA 500 (formerly Premier 700); WTA 250 (International); and WTA 125 (125K Series). The revised nomenclature is not tied to specific ranking points (which stay the same) or prize money, it is a categorical system to help define WTA tournament levels.”

Lawler said, “Fans really respond to the unified approach which tennis is uniquely able to provide. We see it with ticket sales at combined women’s and men’s tournaments, viewership on shared broadcast platforms and the popularity of the ‘Tennis United’ digital content series co-created by the WTA and ATP amidst the challenges of 2020. Adopting this streamlined tournament naming system is 100 percent about making it easier for WTA fans, corporate partners and the media to engage and follow our sport.”

To learn more about the WTA’s rebrand:

Honoring the past, present and future.

Welcome to the new @WTA —> https://t.co/0qfpUZJu0A#WTAForTheGame pic.twitter.com/ranb4lGS8t

— wta (@WTA) December 2, 2020