Novak Djokovic can still come to the Australian Open (AO) but not in the way you’d think.
In a Grand Slam first, Djokovic without having to return to Australia can enter Rod Laver Arena, wander around the park precinct and watch some tennis matches.
What’s more, Djokovic won’t even need his vaccine.
The catch? So can everyone else through the virtual AO Decentraland.
In a tour through the first tennis grand slam replica in the metaverse, Djokovic and normal well-adjusted people alike can explore the AO Decentraland (seen above).
In AO Decentraland, Tennis Australia has replicated the best parts of Melbourne Park, including Rod Laver Arena, a beach club and a kids zone.
Moreover, the content in the AO Decentraland will mirror that of real-life visitors having live footage from press conferences and an AO radio 24/7.
Exclusively to this Decentraland tennis fans can catch behind the scenes glimpses from the 300+ cameras around Melbourne Park.
Camera footage will include footage from the notoriously hard to access player arrivals area and practice village.
Another exciting element of the AO Decentraland is that decades of archival footage from historic matches will be made available.
This would play out like a watch party where you could relive all-time classics like the 2009 Final between Nadal and Federer.
Virtual attendees will also be able to partake in play and complete challenges with rewards like NFTs, POAPs (Ethereum based NFT badges) and wearables on offer.
On the reasons behind this new development, Tennis Australia, NFT and metaverse project manager, Ridley Plummer, said, “Taking the AO into the Metaverse is an important step to provide truly global access to our great event.”
On an accessibility mission, Plummer continued stating, “Fans from anywhere in the world, aged over 13 years old, will have the opportunity to explore a virtual Melbourne Park precinct while viewing live behind-the-scenes footage that is only available in Decentraland.”
“The Metaverse is not going anywhere and as a company, we’re invested in continuing to grow our online presence and push the boundaries of innovation.”
