How technology is changing the way tennis is played and watched

Hello there, fellow tennis fans! Have you ever wondered how technology is changing the way we play and watch tennis? Well, look no further because today we’re going to talk about some hilarious ways technology is taking over the tennis world.

First up, we have Hawk-Eye, the technology that’s revolutionized the way line calls are made. The Hawk-Eye ball-tracking and challenge system, brought in by the grand slam tournaments in 2006 after a number of highly controversial line calls against the current women’s world No. 1 Serena Williams during the 2004 US Open, costs around $60,000 per court. Hawk-Eye is not infallible, but is advertised to be accurate to within 3.6 millimeters. No longer do we have to rely on the inevitable bad calls on critical points in majors. Now we have a technology that can tell us exactly where the ball landed. But let’s be real, as much as we love Hawk-Eye, it’s also created some hilarious moments. Remember when Rafael Nadal asked for a challenge on a ball that was so far out, it was practically in the stands? Or when a player challenges a call, and we all know it’s a lost cause, but they still make the gesture anyways? Hawk-Eye has given us some great comedic relief.

Next, we have electronic line calling. Gone are the days of players arguing with umpires over line calls. Now, we have cameras that can detect whether a ball is in or out with incredible precision. The out calls you hear are actually recordings of “Out” calls. But what happens when the technology fails? Remember when the electronic line calling failed during the 2020 US Open, and Novak Djokovic hit a ball that was clearly out, but the system called it in? The look on his face was priceless. Then of course the unfortunate time that the Joker hit the official with a ball and was DQ’ed. Having no officials on court certainly avoids horrible scenarios like that. It’s nice to see that the technology has proliferated to most of the pro tournaments including Indian Wells and Miami. There are also some local clubs that have a court or two with this technology.

Finally, we have player tracking data. This technology allows us to see exactly how fast a player is serving, how many steps they take during a match, and even how many calories they burn. But let’s be honest, the most entertaining use of this technology is watching players argue with the data. We’ve all seen it happen. A player looks at the stats and says, “There’s no way I hit that serve at 120 mph, I swear it was at least 130!” Additionally, there are a number of apps that will measure your speed on your iPhone and provide you with the speed of your groundstrokes, volleys and much more. There are also tennis rackets with built in sensors. My personal experience with these are that they are not that accurate (sound familiar?). With that said, it’s helpful to understand your tennis game and what you need to improve to compete at the next level.

In conclusion, while technology has certainly improved the way we play and watch tennis, it’s also given us some great comedic moments. So the next time you’re watching a match and something hilarious happens, just remember to thank technology for providing us with some much-needed entertainment and the peace of mind that the calls are accurate.