While Wimbledon "keeps up with technological and commercial demands," its commitment to maintaining the atmosphere of "tennis in an English garden" directs all decision making, especially regarding the presence of sponsors, according to Ben Rothenberg of the N.Y. TIMES. The tournament is "wired for the wider world and how its commercial partners advertise themselves." IBM Client Exec for Wimbledon Sam Seddon said that such considerations "were at the foundation of all the company's work at the tournament," where it has been the technology partner since '90. Seddon said, "The aesthetic environment here is not an afterthought: It's right at the start of the design process." All England Lawn Tennis Club Head of Communications, Content & Digital Alexandra Willis said that "even some decisions that affect the competition have been made with aesthetic considerations in mind." Only six of the tournament's 19 courts are equipped with Hawk-Eye, in "large part to make sure the mounted cameras needed wouldn't obstruct pristine sightlines." Advertising by Wimbledon's various commercial partners "must be similarly unobtrusive." Compared with that of the US Open, where the names of several brands "can quickly be identified in almost any frame" of a TV broadcast, Wimbledon’s approach is "almost clandestine." Slazenger, the British sporting goods manufacturer that has provided the balls for Wimbledon since 1902, has its logo visible on the balls as well as the backdrops of the courts. On most courts, the logos are black, and "barely visible against the dark green background." Evian, a sponsor "visible only through its bottles and a logo on a small refrigerator beneath the umpire's chair," said that "fealty to Wimbledon's tastes was paramount." Danone Waters UK & Ireland Marketing Dir Bryan Martins said, "It is always our priority to respect and celebrate the famous traditions of Wimbledon in everything we do." IBM has its logo on court "only above a small LED screen" that displays the speed of serves and other statistics. A Rolex logo is next to a digital clock on the scoreboard. Seddon: "Everything is only ever in context" (N.Y. TIMES, 7/9).
