Hi-tech tennis racquet introduced with sensors recording every swing; coaching to become redundant?

With high tech gadgets already existing in sports like bike riding and running, it is tennis’ turn to get into the groove of advancement. And the sport has taken a major leap in terms of technological innovation with the introduction of the Babolat Play racquet at the 2014 International CES show in Las Vegas.

The world’s first play-connect racquet has sensors embedded on the handle to measure your every swing, spin and serve. The data generated is then fed into the Babolat Play’s accompanying app which will help players to evaluate and improve their strokes. With each swing the app gives an idea of how the player has matured and how well he matches up to his opponents. Online interactions have also been made possible, with casual and competitive players being able to keep track of each other’s progress.

The racquet looks and plays just like its regular counterparts, and has been designed to entertain both beginner and professional players.

The Impact Locator analyses each ball impact measuring the consistency

Eric Babolat, president and CEO, said, “The lack of data collected during a tennis game is perceived as a real deficiency. Tennis won’t be only based on sensations or feeling any more, but on concrete information. The more you know about your game, the better you perform.”

In its effort to make the device conform to the sport’s rules, Babolat has been in collaboration with the ITF (International Tennis Federation) and is firmly counting on the possibility that the upcoming years might see all tennis racquets equipped with connected capabilities.

“We have been working with the organization for more than a year to respect the rules of tennis and make sure all players could benefit from the connected racquets on any court,” Babolat went on.

The ITF has backed these inventive changes and the rules have been modified to allow the use of player analysis technologies during official competitions.

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