The International Virtual Tennis Federation (IVTF) announced it’s hosting its first World Tennis Esports Championships today, which is set to bring together the world’s top 16 Tennis Esports (2023) players to compete for a $100,000 prize pool.
Those competing are either champions of their respective regions (Austria, Switzerland, Germany, India, Australia, UK, Ireland, Canada, USA), or are one of the top eight highest-ranked online players on the ‘Tennis Esports Tour’.
The World Tennis Esports Championships is backed by sponsors including MGM Group, Sportradar, the ÖTV Austrian Tennis Federation, AEL (Australian Esports League), the First Coast Esports Alliance, GameForYou and NoScope Gaming.
“The rapid rise of VR tennis showcases its potential as a mainstream esport. The World Tennis Esports Championships will mark a defining moment for competitive VR sports,” said Gregory Gettinger, CEO of Tennis Esports.
Taking place at eports venue The Space in Las Vegas, the tournament will kick off on September 10th at 5:30PM PT (local time), and will be available for ticketed in-person fans as well as livestream viewers. You can get in-person tickets here, priced at $44.
Livestream tickets are also available here, priced at $13, however the studio is additionally livestreaming via YouTube for free, which is said to include “live match streams blended with on-site footage from The Space, followed by the trophy ceremony and winner interviews.”
Released on Quest 2 and above in 2023, Tennis Esports is a free-to-play game that offers up online gameplay with co-op and head-to-head matches, as well as training tutorials on forehand and backhand swings. A premium version is also available, which unlocks unlimited live matches, 10 AI opponents, 25+ training exercises, six arcade games, and more.
The studio notes Tennis Esports has “exploded from 35,467 to 400,000 active users” within the past year, making it a serious esports contender in the XR space.
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