The Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) has announced a partnership with the digital art platform Artchild and artist Honor Titus. This collaboration aims to introduce customizable digital and physical tennis posters for fans during the upcoming 2023 Nitto ATP Finals.
Known as “POSTER,” this partnership will empower fans to personalize their versions of the official Nitto ATP Finals poster using Artchild’s digital platform, with a choice of color palettes curated by various artists. The physical posters will then be printed and delivered to purchasers, accompanied by an NFT collectible duplicate minted on Polygon, an Ethereum scaling network.
Furthermore, individual participants in the Nitto ATP Finals will create unique poster variations, which will be auctioned for charity during the event. The proceeds from these auctions will support an environmental project dedicated to promoting the development of green spaces in Turin, the host city of the tournament.
In a press release, the ATP expressed that this collaboration with Titus and Artchild intends to carry forward the rich tradition of iconic sporting posters that have been cherished by fans across generations.
The official poster for the season-ending tournament scheduled from November 12 to 19 will be designed by Los Angeles-based artist Honor Titus. Titus, renowned for his surreal and expressive tennis-themed paintings, expressed his deep inspiration drawn from the sport.
In his words, “Tennis is so very rich with history and elegant nuance that it makes for an excellent subject for the artist. The lines between intensity, order, and insanity are as thick as the service line.”
Mark Epps, the ATP’s Director of Communications and Web3, shared that the inspiration for POSTER comes from the ATP’s vision to “reimagine one of the most iconic collectibles in tennis culture: the tournament poster.”
“POSTERS is all about bridging the connection between tennis fans and significant moments in the sport,” Epps stated in the release. “We were inspired by the concept of creating a creative experience that allows everyone to become a part of the narrative.”
During the tournament at the Pala Alpitour arena, a curated selection of fan-designed posters will be on display. The exclusive poster, designed by Titus, will be available exclusively during the 2023 Finals and will be priced at $50, which includes shipping for both the NFT and physical print versions. It can be purchased online and at the Nitto ATP Finals fan village.
It’s worth noting that POSTERS is not the ATP’s first venture into NFTs. In November of the previous year, the association collaborated with the generative art platform Art Blocks, alongside artist Martin Grasser, to introduce the “Love” digital art series, inspired by match data from the 2022 Finals. Owners of the “Love” NFT pieces from that collection are eligible to receive one of the 2023 customizable posters at no cost. Additionally, in July of the current year, British tennis player Andy Murray, the Wimbledon tournament, and digital artist Refik Anadol jointly launched an official Wimbledon NFT on the Ethereum blockchain.
