Anjunabeats has become the first dance music label to sponsor a tennis player during the grass court season. This unique partnership saw British tennis star Alicia Barnett proudly sporting Anjunabeats’ iconic ‘A’ logo during her matches at Wimbledon.
Barnett, an avid Anjuna fan, fought hard over the past two weeks, participating in both the women’s doubles and mixed doubles events. She reached the quarter-finals in the mixed doubles alongside her partner Marcus Willis. Originally from Painswick, Gloucestershire, Barnett began playing tennis at the age of seven. She achieved a career-high doubles ranking of world No. 59 on October 24, 2022.
Above & Beyond founded Anjunabeats in 2000 and have released nearly 1000 trance and progressive tracks to date. This collaboration with Barnett marks a notable milestone for the label, given Barnett’s enthusiasm for the label and James Grant, the co-owner of Anjunabeats, being a long-time tennis aficionado.
“Having been a keen tennis player and frequent grass court queuer for many years, I was super excited that Anjuna was able to support Lissey at this year’s tournament. The fact she’s a genuine fan of the label makes it even sweeter,” shared James Grant.
Historically, other dance music labels have not sponsored athletes, making Anjunabeats’ sponsorship of Barnett a unique and pioneering move in the industry. While dance music labels like Spinnin’ Records, Armada Music, and OWSLA are known for their innovative approaches in the music scene and have ventured into multimedia and other entertainment sectors, they have not ventured into athlete sponsorships.
Congratulations to Alicia and Marcus for their outstanding performance and making it to the mixed doubles quarterfinals!