WildCard Battle: a unique show followed by more than 710,000 fans
We Are Tennis by BNP Paribas and the streamer Domingo, with the support of the French Tennis Federation, created the “WildCard Battle”, a unique show within the grounds of Roland-Garros on Thursday 6 June to the delight of the 8,000 spectators who came to witness this event live!
On the Suzanne-Lenglen court, 4 mixed teams of 2 players, selected by exceptional content creator captains (Domingo, the choreographer and the dancer Inès Vandamme, the content creator Rayenne “Etoiles” Guendil and the professional tennis player and Youtuber Jules Marie), competed against each other in a festive and pumped-up atmosphere! At the end of the competition, it was Team Inès Vandamme (Clement Legrand, ranked 1/6 and Sandy Callios, ranked -2/6) who won the final of the WildCard Battle.
Spectators were also able to enjoy a doubles match featuring legends, with Alizé Cornet and Mansour Bahrami taking on Gilles Simon and Alizé Lim. A lively evening on the court but also in the stands, thanks to an electric atmosphere created by the We Are Tennis brass band. Broadcast live on Domingo’s Twitch and YouTube channels, the event clocked up more than 703,000 views!
The streamer Domingo, during the WildCard Battle, on June 6th, 2024 at Roland-Garros.
Making way for younger generations on the courts and in the stands
The BNP Paribas Young Talent Teams also shone on the clay at Porte d’Auteuil: two of them particularly distinguished themselves by making it to the Junior tournament finals! Ksenia Chateau, from Team France, won the final of the first edition of the Junior wheelchair tennis competition. With this latest victory (after winning the 2023 US Open), she is asserting herself as the stand-out player in wheelchair tennis for years to come…
Ksénia Chasteau, member of the BNP Paribas Young Talents Team, wins the junior wheelchair tennis final.
Tomasz Berkieta, from Team Poland, finished runner-up in the Junior tournament, against the American Kaylan Bigun. At 17, the young player could follow in the footsteps of Jerzy Janowicz, Iga Świątek and Agnieszka Radwańska, who made their mark in junior Grand Slam tournaments.
BNP Paribas invited more than 1,000 youngsters from partner schools and associations to attend the matches on the Philippe-Chatrier court throughout the fortnight, crowned by a charity evening organized on Sunday 26 May.
Points For Change: for more accessible tennis
During the fortnight, the “Points For Change” initiative made it possible to raise 61,095 euros in favour of charity initiatives using sport as a vehicle for inclusion, particularly for younger generations. Thanks to this programme, each point scored by tennis players in tournaments sponsored by BNP Paribas was transformed into a donation (1 point = €1).
We Are Tennis Cup: the BNP Paribas internal tennis tournament
This year, more than 3,000 employees from 28 countries took on the challenge of the We Are Tennis Cup (WAT Cup), the BNP Paribas internal tennis tournament. On the weekend of 7, 8 and 9 June, the 112 finalists competed on the clay surfaces of Roland-Garros to try to reach the International Grand Final. Three days of matches dedicated to fair play and fellowship!
At the end of the Grand Final which took place on the Simonne-Mathieu court, 3 teams stood out: France climbed to the highest step of the podium, followed by Spain and the Netherlands. For each point scored during the WAT Cup final, 1 euro was donated to the association Attrap’ la Balle, which works to promote integration, inclusion and education through tennis for young people. In total, 6,500 euros will be donated to the association.
Thierry Laborde, Chief Operating Officer BNP Paribas ; Elise Hermant, Head of Communications BNP Paribas ; Jean-Luc Barrière, Treasurer of the French Tennis Federation and Pierre Dumayrou, General Secretary of the French Tennis Federation and the 3 et finalists of the WAT Cup.
Roland-Garros 2024 & BNP Paribas
spectators during the WildCard Battle
8,000 spectators on the Suzanne-Lenglen court and more than 700,000 on Domingo's Twitch and Youtube channels
raised through the Points For Change programme
to support charity initiatives using sport as a vehicle for inclusion
people invited during the 2024 fortnight
of which Group clients as well as young people from partner associations and schools