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The giant Australian Open logo is seen full of tennis balls ahead of the 2019 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 05, 2019 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Michael Dodge/Getty Images)
via Getty
The giant Australian Open logo is seen full of tennis balls ahead of the 2019 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 05, 2019 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Michael Dodge/Getty Images)
The Australian Open is one of the most prestigious Grand Slams in all of tennis. The tournament has never shied away from dabbling into new technologies. The AO is officially releasing a line of NFTs (non-fungible tokens) and a metaverse universe in the lead-up to the major tennis event.
In 2020, the competition hosted the ever-intriguing Fortnite Summer Smash, an esports event. Well, this time they have come up with an NFT. Around 6,500 Art Ball NFTs will be connecting to matches at the Australian Open 2022. Interestingly, this will be the world’s first NFT metaverse initiative.
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Australian Open to launch a line of NFTs
The Australian Open has decided to embark on a new venture in the year 2022. The tournament is launching 6,776 Art Balls NFTs and an exclusive AO metaverse.
In addition, surfaces that result in the winning shot will be commemorated by airdropping the winning film throughout the matches. Tournament director Craig Tiley said, “With this next wave of technology, global tennis fans will have the opportunity to be part of the 2022 Australian Open in a way never before available.”
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A general view inside Rod Laver Arena at sunset during the Men’s Singles Final match betwen Novak Djokovic of Serbia and Rafael Nadal of Spain during day 14 of the 2019 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Scott Barbour/Getty Images)
Furthermore, the Australian Open has always come up with novel ideas, according to Tiley, and the latest project is simply another example of how the organization is concerned about fans’ participation and engagement with the sport.
” The AO has always been seen as one of the most innovative sporting events in the world and this project is just another example of our team pushing the boundaries to provide our fans with better access and engagement with the AO.” [h/t gizmodo.com]
Introducing https://t.co/KPIImKidPn – a thread.
– Mint your ball
– Own the court
– Own the moment
– Be on the ball
– Enter the Metaverse w/ @decentraland pic.twitter.com/XCp1Fc43YR— AOmetaverse (@AOmetaverse) January 6, 2022
However, the project is not just confined to NFTs of Australian Open balls as it will also contain featuring a few international as well as local artists.
Watch this story: The Journey of Roger Federer to the Elite Billionaire’s Club
A look into AO’s conceptualization of Metaverse
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The Australian Open is also releasing an exclusive Metaverse called AO Decentraland. The 3D virtual reality platform will allow the fans to jump into the exciting realm of tennis Australia. In addition, you’ll be able to interact with marquee players and other passionate tennis fans at the metaverse. To know everything about metaverse, perform a deep dive into the Twitter account of the official discord server.
