WTA Tour Bites connects players to the cultures and communities of tournaments
London, Friday, 26 June 2026: The WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) is launching WTA Tour Bites, a new original content series that uses food as a gateway to deeper conversations around culture, identity, friendship and life on the WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz.
The three-part series, produced by global production company Whisper, is the latest addition to the WTA’s growing original content bill, following last month’s launch of the fashion focused Style Unpacked. Together, the formats form part of the Tour’s broader content marketing strategy to tell stories beyond the court, highlighting the individuality of WTA players, and connecting them to the destinations, cultures and communities that shape the global competition.
Sarah Swanson, Chief Brand Officer, WTA Ventures, explains: “The WTA Tour visits more than 25 countries each season, yet the uniform nature of the courts can result in locations looking remarkably similar. Through original content like WTA Tour Bites and Style Unpacked, we’re able to bring the personality of our tournaments to life, celebrate local culture and create new ways for fans to connect with our players.”
The first episode of WTA Tour Bites, lands tomorrow, Friday 26 June, is presented by Mia Baker and features Canadian star Leylah Fernandez exploring her connection to Filipino culture, her passions off-the-court, and her preparations for grass-court season, over some of her favorite dishes at a local restaurant near Queen’s Club. Future episodes bring together doubles partners Luisa Stefani and Gabriela Dabrowski for a candid conversation about partnership, life on tour and mental wellbeing, before the series concludes in Eastbourne with Jeļena Ostapenko sampling iconic British seaside favorites while sharing stories from her career.
WTA Tour Bites follows Style Unpacked which kicked off with the Madrid Open where four WTA players were paired with a Madrid stylist to help them find their look for specific, off-court moments during the tournament. Produced by fan-first creative agency Run Deep, Andrea Neira fronted the episodes, and while in Madrid, stylist Antonia Payeras was brought in to help curate their looks. The players were also photographed by Sheila Velasco before leaving the studio, creating a suite of assets to be shared across WTA and player social and digital channels. The aim is to repeat this format across different cities that the players travel to across the season.
Adding, Sarah Swanson says: “Food, like fashion, is a universal language. These subjects provide a natural starting point for conversations that reveal who these athletes are beyond the court, while helping us tell stories that resonate across cultures and geographies.”
Whisper is one of the world’s leading sports production companies, creating award-winning content, documentaries and live broadcasts for major sports properties around the globe. With a track record of producing compelling athlete-led storytelling across sport and entertainment, Whisper has partnered with the WTA to develop a format that combines cultural discovery with candid player conversation, bringing fans closer to life on tour.
Fiona Morgan, Chief Brand Officer, Whisper said: “We love working with the WTA, true leaders in women’s sport. Empowering female athletes is at the very heart of Whisper’s DNA, and WTA Tour Bites allows us to look at sports storytelling through an entirely different lens using food as a universal connector. This project aligns perfectly with our ‘Entertainment is Everything’ ethos, using human-centric narratives to deepen fan connections globally and engage new audiences.”
WTA Tour Bites episodes will be released weekly across WTA social and digital platforms.
ENDS
Production Credits
Brand: WTA
Production Partner: Whisper
Producers: Tom Maginn, Alex Forrest, Pete Shuff.
Presenters: Ep1: Mia Baker Ep2 & Ep3: Lily Saffron Coleman
About WTA
The WTA is the original game-changer for women’s sport. Founded in 1973 by the visionary Billie Jean King, the WTA was created to build equal opportunities for women in tennis, and we’ve been breaking boundaries ever since. Today we’re the powerhouse of women’s professional sports, uniting athletes in fearless competition and bringing people together through the love of tennis. The WTA Tour shares the thrill of every serve, rally and match point with an audience of more than one billion around the world. Players compete for PIF WTA ranking points in tournament arenas on six continents before the season hits its peak at the WTA Finals, where the best singles and doubles superstars battle to be crowned as year-end champions. Our ambitions go well beyond the court. We are champions for our incredible athletes and drivers of change through advocacy and action for women’s health and empowerment across the globe.
WTA Ventures, the commercial arm of the WTA, has a mission to fuel the growth of professional women’s tennis. Established in partnership with CVC Capital Partners in 2023, it aims to further elevate the profile of women’s tennis, improve the product for fans and accelerate commercial growth for the benefit of players, tournaments and everyone involved in the sport.
About Whisper:
Whisper is a leading global, independent production company where Entertainment is Everything. Founded in 2010, Whisper functions as a multi-genre powerhouse that combines a dynamic, people-first culture with the scale to deliver for the world’s biggest broadcasters and brands. Following its 2026 return to private ownership, the group has reinforced its long-standing commitment to disruptive storytelling and technological innovation.
With over 300 staff in offices across the UK, EMEA and North America, Whisper delivers world-class production across its core pillars of Sport, Entertainment, Documentaries, Gaming and Branded Content, supported by end-to-end Social and Digital services.
Whisper is proud to work on the most iconic sporting events and in partnership with global federations and rights-holders, including UEFA, Formula 1, EA, Wimbledon, and FIFA. Whisper’s innovative production – which includes Women’s Rugby World Cup, Paralympics, BBC Sports Personality of the Year, Built In Birmingham: Brady & The Blues, Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune – is consistently delivered in collaboration with major SVODs and broadcasters such as Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, BBC, ITV, and Channel 4.
A multi-award-winning industry leader, Whisper is a BAFTA winner and multi-Emmy nominee, consistently recognised as a Sunday Times and Broadcast “Best Places to Work” winner.
