In 2022, Tennis Australia made headlines by releasing 6,776 images of tennis balls as digital NFTs. Each NFT was sold for 0.067 in Ethereum, equivalent to about $278 AUD at the time. However, these NFTs are now fetching as low as 0.003 ETH or $15 AUD on OpenSea—the world’s leading marketplace for crypto collectibles. This sharp decline highlights the instability of the NFT market.

The NFTs were tied to specific 19cm × 19cm plots on the courts, and the organization had initially promised to update their metadata whenever a winning shot landed in those areas. Tennis Australia even marketed the NFTs as a sort of frequent flyer program, offering exclusive passes and behind-the-scenes access for owners.

In 2023, Tennis Australia added another batch of 2,545 NFTs linked to court plots, despite ongoing discussions about the volatile crypto landscape. The total sales for both series reached approximately $3 million AUD.

Ridley Plummer, Tennis Australia’s Senior Manager for metaverse, NFTs, web3, and cryptocurrency, stated, “We shouldn’t just put down our tools and walk away because the market’s having its challenges. There’s obviously a ton of external factors that come into play when you’re exploring a new technology like web3 and NFTs.”

Despite the initial investment, as of 2024, Tennis Australia seems reluctant to further promote the NFT initiative. Current tournament activities show no mention of this digital scheme, with reports of a deactivated Discord server and unresponsive communication on the topic.