Lawn Tennis Association expands into venture investing as Wimbledon income growth slows

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Lawn Tennis venture investing

Highlights

The Lawn Tennis Association partnered with Redrice Ventures for joint investments in sports tech and consumer start-ups, marking its venture capital debut.
In 2025, LTA revenue rose 2 per cent to 104 million pounds while Wimbledon income fell 4 per cent to 48.6 million pounds.
Commercial revenue surged 37 per cent to 14.5 million pounds, boosted by sponsorships with Infosys, HSBC, and FAGE, and expanded Queen's Club events.

Partnership targets sports technology and consumer start-ups

As first reported by Financial Times, the Lawn Tennis Association has partnered with Redrice Ventures to make joint investments in sport-related start-ups, marking the governing body's first move into venture capital.

The LTA, which oversees tennis and padel in Great Britain, says the partnership is intended to provide both capital and investment expertise for opportunities including online coaching apps, smart court technology such as automated line calling, and sports nutrition. Scott Lloyd, chief executive of the LTA, says the strategy is designed to help the organization benefit from growing flows of money into global sport while also supporting participation growth and elite performance.

Lloyd says he also hopes the initiative will eventually attract other institutional investors. Redrice, based in London, already has strong links to sport, with Sir Andy Murray serving as an associate partner alongside Olympic triathlete Alistair Brownlee.

Commercial diversification gains importance for UK tennis

The investment push reflects mounting pressure on the LTA to diversify its income away from the Wimbledon Championships. The All England Club, which runs Wimbledon, gives 90 per cent of its surplus to the LTA, but rising demands from players for higher prize money have limited growth in those payments.

Last year, the players' prize fund exceeded the sums paid to the LTA for the first time. In 2025, the LTA's revenue rose 2 per cent to 104 million pounds even as income from Wimbledon fell 4 per cent to 48.6 million pounds.

Some of that growth came from the LTA's own grass-court events, including the HSBC Championships at Queen's Club in London, which last year expanded to include a women's tournament for the first time in more than 50 years. Commercial revenue jumped 37 per cent to 14.5 million pounds after sponsorship agreements with Infosys, HSBC and FAGE.

The LTA joins a wider trend among sporting governing bodies seeking private capital. In 2023, the Women's Tennis Association created a venture arm backed by CVC Capital Partners, while British Cycling spun out a new commercial arm late last year to attract outside funding.

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