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Photo: Range Rover
The Wimbledon Championships is widely considered the most prestigious tennis tournament for several reasons. The oldest such competition in the world, it has been held at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club since 1877, and is the only Grand Slam out of four that is played on outdoor grass courts.
With its long history comes a deep association with upper-crust English culture. In addition to royal patronage, there is the strict all-white dress code for players, the enjoyment of strawberries and cream with Champagne, and the formal attire required of guests especially in the box seats. Best behaviour is expected, of course.
The first men’s semi-finals match was a four-set battle between Carlos Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev
A new era
It is therefore no surprise that Range Rover has been chosen as Wimbledon’s Official Vehicle Partner starting this year, marking the first time the tournament joins hands with the luxury SUV marque. It has taken over the helm from Jaguar, its sister brand under the Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) group, in the ferrying of competitors, their teams, and officials to and from official venues. This transition will see JLR’s
support of the Championships extend to more than a decade.
And Range Rover, born in 1970 as a urban model under Land Rover, really needs no introduction. Its modernity, refinement, and breadth of capability are the result of over 50 years of evolution. Aside from its outstanding pedigree, every Range Rover is now available as a plug-in electric hybrid, with the first fully electric Range Rover due to be revealed later this year.
The newest Range Rover on display at the Wimbledon Championships (Photo: Range Rover)
What a quintessentially British alliance for what’s regarded as the most important British summer sporting highlight, which is viewed by millions globally — and that is not counting the hundreds of thousands of international visitors.
The Peak was a Range Rover guest at this July’s men’s semi-finals featuring Carlos Alcaraz competing against Daniil Medvedev, and Novak Djokovic going toe-to-toe with Lorenzo Musetti — whose serve speeds were recorded on Centre Court’s display board with Range Rover branding.
Aside from the thrilling action and rubbing shoulders with celebrity guest Margot Robbie in the beautiful Hydrangea Suite overlooking the practice courts and the iconic Centre Court, we had the exclusive opportunity to experience being chauffeured in a fleet of Range Rover and Range Rover Sport plug-in electric hybrid models, just like the tennis VIPs.
Barbie star Margot Robbie was one of the international celebrity guests in Range Rover’s Hydrangrea hospitality suite (Photo: Range Rover)
As good as it gets
Hundreds, if not thousands, queue up daily for tickets at the door during Wimbledon’s 14-day run annually, while the cheapest seat at the recently concluded men’s finals cost as much as £7,800 (almost S$13,500). It is famously known that attending Wimbledon is an exclusive affair, and how better to begin and end the day than with a luxurious ride?
The 50-minute ride to and from The Londoner, where we were put up, was exceptionally smooth and comfortable despite the heavy traffic and some narrow, twisting roads. The experience was truly restful — thanks to the quiet electric hybrid engines.
The lack of engine noise from the vehicles might seem irrelevant at a major event, where it would be typically bustling, but Wimbledon Village is situated in a residential estate, where homes closely line the sports grounds in some parts. Maintaining “a healthy and resilient natural environment” is a mission of the event organiser.
It also has to be said that in a historically elite sport like tennis, the match will not proceed, or points will not continue to be played, unless the spectators are seated and silent. And Wimbledon observes exemplary etiquette to a tee.
Range Rover hosted its VIP guests at Wimbledon’s Hydrangea Suite (Photo: Range Rover)
Game, set, match
Further uniting both Range Rover and Wimbledon is an environment positive commitment. Reducing vehicle emissions, apart from using sustainable recyclables, contributing to biodiversity, and boosting resource efficiency, is a critical component of the tournament’s goals.
Impressively, the on-site charging infrastructure at the recently completed Indoor Tennis Centre, where the Range Rover vehicles were fuelled up to maximise their pure electric driving range of up to 120km, is powered by renewable electricity. The facility is capable of accommodating increasing numbers of hybrid and electric vehicles as progress continues towards the All England Club’s 2030 net-zero operational emissions target.
And Deborah Jevans CBE, chair of the All England Club, has this to say about what Range Rover has brought to the tournament: “I am particularly pleased with the inclusion of a significant number of lower emission plug-in hybrid vehicles in the fleet, with a focus on as many journeys as possible being delivered in EV mode. This is another step towards our goal of achieving net zero operational emissions by 2030.”
These two Range Rover plug-in electric hybrid models were ferrying VIP guests to and from official venues
On the same front, JLR has committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions across its own operations by 46 per cent, and 54 per cent per vehicle across its value chain, by 2030. These are approved by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), confirming the company’s direction towards a 1.5 deg C emissions reduction in line with the Paris Agreement.
JLR is also aiming for net-zero carbon emissions across all supply chain, products and operations by 2039.
Judging from how this first year of partnership between Range Rover and Wimbledon has turned out, we can confidently say both parties have aced the game.
