Wimbledon organisers preparing to defend brand after new Saudi complex boasts similar colour scheme

Synonymous with the iconic tournament that is Wimbledon, the purple and green combination work well together as they make up SW19's distinctive branding. So popular in fact that plans have emerged for a Saudi tennis mega-complex with a similar colourway, with Wimbledon chiefs bracing themselves to defend colour scheme.

Renders for a National Tennis Centre in Saudi Arabia’s Qiddiya giga-project were released in June and have wowed virtually everyone who has gazed upon it. The Centre Court is set to be a spectacle, covered in foliage while surrounded by another 29 courts.

Similarly to Wimbledon, it would be decked out in the trademark purple and green, seemingly going down that same pathway as the All England Lawn Tennis Club, which runs the Wimbledon Championships.

In an interview with City AM, Wimbledon’s marketing and commercial director Usama Al-Qassab did not seem too concerned about the colours, linking it to a form of 'flattery' and seeking the positives.

“We’re very proud of what our site looks like and our brand," he said. "We defend it rigorously and we promote it with great care and attention. The purple and the green you see, and the cross racket logo are part of the Wimbledon equity.”

It needs to be noted that it is not the finished product, just a picture that will be used as inspiration for the finished article. “These are just CGI visuals at the moment, and let’s see what turns out. I wouldn’t be surprised if green is in the colour scheme somewhere because that generally seems to be the colour of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.”

Wimbledon strongly protects its copyright for the colours and brand. It holds trademarks for the purple and green colourway in the UK, European Union and a select number of other jurisdictions. Nevertheless, it does not have a blanket global protection.

“We defend many areas of our brands and equity from our font and logos, and when we do see guerrilla activity, we do make sure that we protect both our brand and those stakeholders that invest in it," Al-Qassab continued.

“We also make sure that we have integrity within our ballot to make sure that those who are trying to receive tickets to come to Wimbledon are genuine. So there’s masses of integrity checks, more than we know of at any other sports tournament.

“And yes, we also protect the brand for our brand partners, our official partners who work alongside us, who once again invest in the championships, so that others aren’t getting a free ride on the back of Wimbledon when they haven’t actually invested within the sport.”

Wimbledon is continuing its long-stay as one of tennis's most iconic and cherished tournaments of the season. Jannik Sinner and Linda Noskova were the champions last time out, respectively defeating Alexander Zverev and Karolina Muchova in the showpiece event. The event also saw an influx of prize money, boosted to £64.2m offered out to the players.

Over in the Middle East, the new National Tennis Centre in Qiddiya City is set to host the latest Masters 1000 being introduced on the calendar from 2028. Along with that, the mega-city is set to bestow a Six Flags theme park, Formula 1 track, a 2034 World Cup stadium and a Mercedes-AMG World of Performance.