Guest Column: Technology and Tennis

This continues a series of guest columns on how technology is reshaping hobbies and passions  – basket weaving, rugby – whatever.

This time it is my friend Karen Beaman (formerly ADP and Workday) who now runs a HR consulting firm Jeitosa. Here she is on how technology has influenced tennis.

“You don’t generally think about how technology can help improve your tennis game, but it has indeed had profound impact on the game.  I can see really the difference between the Gen Y’s and the Boomers at my local tennis club and how they leverage technology to improve their game.  Use of technology in my tennis circle ranges from the most basic of simply using email or text messaging to schedule matches to watching online videos to improve technique and learn strategy to searching for partners and twittering your status and match results.  The Boomers prefer a live-telephone call or an email.  The Gen X’ers are good an updating their availability on tennis scheduling website.  The Gen Y’s, though, respond best via SMS.  All this technology sure does make it tough for a captain who has to communicate via multiple, multi-media in order to get all of her players to show up on time!

One of the most prevalent uses of technology in tennis is videos, in particular YouTube, but also free and subscription-based instructional videos from a number of different websites, such as TennisOne .  Video and imagery are very important to the tennis player, and the ability to visualize and review specific techniques, such as the two-handed backhand slice and the continental grip on the top-spin serve, over and over again and in slow motion is invaluable. There are also websites on strategy that walk through detailed plays shot-by-shot with specific court positioning, such as Operations Doubles, that help you learn how to gain the best angles on your opponent.

Other common uses of technology in tennis including searching for players in your area at the same level and managing schedules for local leagues and tournaments.  The USTA website keeps history of all leagues and matches with scores and rankings for league players.  They have great instructional information as well as all the rules and regulations, such has how to play the Komen tie-break, what do to if a bug flies in your mouth during the serve, or if the ball hits a post and then bounces back into the court for fair play.

One really big impact of the modern world on tennis equipment are the innovations in rackets.  Wooden racquets have been completely replaced by graphite which can last for decades without cracking, warping, drying out with age. Hence, with little motivation to replace a racket, vendors have had to come up with other reasons to get people to buy rackets.  So we now have innovations such as oversized heads, wider frames, lighter weight, extra length, head-heavy, and so on.  With the ubiquity of technology, we’re even starting to see electronic racquets! Head has a racquet that uses piezoelectric technology. “Piezoelectric materials convert vibration or motion to and from electrical energy. Head's new racquet takes the vibration resulting from impact with the ball and converts it to electrical energy, which serves to dampen that vibration. A circuit board in the racquet's handle then amplifies that electrical energy and sends it back to the piezoelectric ceramic composites in the frame, causing those materials to stiffen. 

There have also been major improvements in tennis balls with the advancement of technology.  Today’s balls now have ultra-thin walls with higher pressure that play better and are easier on the arm.  They are also now pressurized with nitrogen versus standard air because nitrogen diffuses through rubber more slowly, resulting in slower pressure loss.  Balls are also now optimized for either hard surfaces (such as asphalt) or soft courts (such as clay, grass, or indoor carpet).

Another major technology impact on traditional game of tennis are ball tracking devices and instant video replays. Hawkeye Innovations developed a telemetry system now used in most professional matches. “The system operates via a mountain of complex math and engineering to track the trajectory of the ball in play by combining the travel information via eight high resolution cameras that when views are combined, provide a three dimensional picture of the ball. The system, is reportedly accurate to within .12 inch. The days of disputes over bad line calls are long past – in professional tennis anyway. I can assure you there’s still plenty opportunity for arguments at my local club!

So what will be the next innovation with technology on tennis?  How about an electronic racket that digitally tracks the ball and automatically adjusts the player’s racket angle?  No more long or net balls!  I wonder how that would go over at Wimbledon?”

Comments

[Dr. Bob Smith]

I am an innovator and have a couple of tennis related ideas that could have a huge effect on the game. Could you suggest a contact at Wilson or any company that is interested in independent research?I would appreciate any help anyone could give me.