Tennis News

When the WTA and SAP announced a multi-year sponsorship in 2013, most of us in tennis wondered what the technology company’s ultimate deliverable would look like. Flash forward three years and SAP’s vision on how its data solutions could elevate the women’s game has become clear: start with the on-court product.

After a full year of data collection from matches and opening up the development process to players and coaches, SAP launched its on-court coaching tablet last August. The tablet, which had to be retrofitted to work in tennis’ grueling sun and heat conditions, allows coaches to track real-time match data from the coach’s box and, if needed, use the tablet as a visual aid during on-court coaching timeouts.

“When SAP looked to partner with the WTA this was one of the main reasons why women’s sport was something that we were interested in,” said Jenni Lewis, head of tennis technology at SAP. “Because we saw we could work together in impacting the sport in a positive way with technology. Playing by the rules, but still being able to say there was a gap there we could fill. The On Court Coaching rule has been there for a long time. Now we have the ability to bring in some facts to that conversation.”

But there’s only so much information a coach and player can process during a match. Using feedback from coaches with respect to the data points they are most interested in during matches, SAP worked to curate the tablet experience to make sure they had what they needed at their fingertips.

Away from the matches, coaches and players now have access to a robust Tournament Performance Center, an online portal that provides access to even more data and information which can be configured by each user. While the coaching tablet has been heavily refined so as to not overwhelm the coaches with information while they are trying to manage the match, the TPC unlocks a wealth of information for coaches to use in analysis, scouting, and preparation. The courtside solution is only accessible via a WTA authorized tablet. The TPC can be used on a website, tablet, or mobile device.

“I think it’s a game changer,” said Nicole Pratt, who currently coaches Daria Gavrilova, “The data that’s now available to the coaches and what the coaches are giving back to the players.”

The hope is that access to information will give coaches the tools to become better coaches and result in better players and a better on-court product. As Pratt told WTA Insider last year, the hard data helps solidify the player/coach relationship and cuts through the debate as to what did or did not happen in a match so both can focus on reinforcing solutions or diagnosing the problems.

“Sometimes you see the player and the coach arguing on court,” Pratt said. “With this data you cannot have that argument on court because it’s real. It’s right in front of them.”

The result is an uptick in efficiency, driven by the needs of the coaches.

“The platform gives us the flexibility, but the people give us the ideas,” Lewis said. “So we’ve been very lucky to have that access and also the buy-in from the coaches and the players about telling us. We took some time because we wanted to make sure the adoption happened.”

The current databases are built off automated data from the umpire’s electronic scoring devices, meaning there is a guaranteed minimum threshold of data points for every match on tour, as well as Hawkeye data where available. In the future, Lewis hopes to be able to incorporate racquet technology and data generated from wearables into the full dataset. In the meantime, the next step is to provide more analytical tools for broadcast and media to be able to use the data to enhance their storytelling abilities.

#SAPCoachesView: See insights on how @Vika7 Azarenka got the upper hand against Kuznetsova in the @MiamiOpen final! pic.twitter.com/pYeqUgG5Hc

— WTA (@WTA) April 2, 2016

Speaking to reporters at the Miami Open, WTA President Micky Lawler highlighted the potential health benefits of SAP’s work as well. The more data the tour has on the physical effects of game on the players’ bodies could impact everything from the tour’s Sports Science and Medicine team to how best to reconfigure the circuit structure to protect the athletes.

BOGOTA, Colombia – Alexandra Panova was taken to the limit twice by a determined opponent but the Russian continued her run at the Claro Open Colsanitas, overcoming Conny Perrin 7-6(7), 7-6(7) for a spot in the quarterfinals.

Panova was the author of one the first round’s most dramatic upsets, emerging victorious in a rain-delayed three set comeback against the No.1 seed Elina Svitolina.

In the second round against Swiss qualifier Perrin, Panova was taken to two very tight sets. She built up a 5-2 lead in both sets before the Swiss came back twice to force a tiebreak in each one. Perrin held set points in both sets, but each time Panova was able to find a way shut her out.

“My opponent played really well, she has a really heavy forehand,” Panova said about 20-year-old Perrin. “I got really unlucky when I was trying to close it out with 5-2, but she was playing really well, nothing I could do. Just fight.”

Bogota’s high altitude and sharp change in climate – today being the first hot and sunny day after a week of cold and rainy weather – was almost too much for the Russian, who had to receive treatment during the second set due to dizziness.

“I felt fatigue, I felt like fainting. I couldn’t look up,” Panova said afterwards. “It was cold yesterday, today it’s hot. It’s still a high altitude and even if I’m in great shape and very fit, it’s very difficult.”

Also into the quarterfinals are Amra Sadikovic – who’s enjoying a successful return to competition in her first WTA tournament since her 2014 retirement – along with Sílvia Soler-Espinosa and Sachia Vickery.

SINGAPORE – Madison Keys’ slow and steady climb up the Road to Singapore began in the most unexpected place: the European clay season. A fierce hitter who excels on grass and hardcourts, Keys spent the last three seasons dreading the clay season, unmoored by her unrefined movement and necessary patience on the surface.

But something clicked for Keys at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia, where she proceeded to beat Andrea Petkovic, Petra Kvitova, Timea Babos, and eventual Roland Garros champion Garbiñe Muguruza, to make her first final on the terre battue. From there everything began falling into place.

“I kind of had a slow start to my season,” Keys told reporters at All-Access Hour at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global, referring to a left forearm injury she sustained off-court during the off-season. “[Singapore] wasn’t really on the radar. Then even after Rome when I made the finals I noticed I was slowly kind of moving up in the race.

“After winning in Birmingham I was kind of definitely in it at that point. So that’s when I really knew that I could make it, and it became a big goal of mine to be able to get here.”

Keys secured her spot by advancing to the Generali Ladies Linz final last week. Illness forced her to withdraw from the tournament. She spoke with a raspy voice but reassured reporters that she is ready to start her tournament on Sunday against Simona Halep.

“[I] was definitely not feeling good in Linz,” Keys said. “[I’ve] had a couple days to recover and I am feeling a lot better.”

.@Madison_Keys feeling much better from last week, excited for @WTAFinalsSG debut – also eager to fight cyberbullying via @FearlesslyGirl. pic.twitter.com/faZiYsBmto

— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) October 22, 2016

Keys has been drawn in the Red Group, which includes Halep, World No.1 Angelique Kerber, and Dominika Cibulkova. It’s a tough group for Keys, who is a combined 2-9 against Kerber and Halep, though she is 3-0 against Cibulkova.

“It’s a big opportunity,” Keys said, when asked how she felt about landing in a group with Kerber and Halep. “It shows these are some of the best players of the year, and the good news is that I have beaten them before. I do know I can do it.”

On Sunday, Keys will be looking to get revenge on Halep, who has beaten her in all three of their meetings this year.

“I’m looking forward to it,” she said “Just playing her in Wuhan, I think she played really well there, but I think a big part was that I got really passive and I got behind the baseline and let her start dictating. That’s going to be something I’m going to have to step up and go for my shots in the smartest way I can, really just believe that I can do it.”

Reflecting on her consistent season, which saw her make the second week of all four majors and eight of 12 tournaments outside of the Slams, Keys pointed to her rankings rise. After winning the Aegon Classic in June she became the first American since Serena Williams in 1999 to make her Top 10 debut.

“I just look at it as a great accomplishment and a huge opportunity to go out and just play tennis and have fun and maybe inspire some more young American girls to pick up some racquets,” Keys said.

“I think highlights were getting into the Top 10 for sure, winning my second title. I think another big highlight was making a final on red clay…in the past I haven’t always loved red clay. Slowly I’m beginning to love it. I think probably the toughest moment has been losing that third and fourth match in Rio,” she said, referring to her run to the semifinals only to lose the bronze medal match. “Definitely one of the toughest matches that I’ve had to play.”

Defs not ok right now. But I left it all out there and I'm proud and honored I got to represent my country. Thanks for the love ???#TeamUSA

— Madison Keys (@Madison_Keys) August 13, 2016

Speaking of adversity, the discussion turned to the topic of cyberbullying. Keys has occasionally posted screen grabs of the horrible tweets she receives on social media after losses, and more players have done the same over recent months. The 21-year-old says it’s a problem she hopes social media companies address soon.

“I think just showing that it’s kind of a daily struggle that all of us are dealing with,” Keys said when asked why she does posts the vile comments, which can veer into pure racism and sexism, particularly from men who have lost money betting on her matches. “Sometimes it just becomes too much. I just think there has to be a way to kind of monitor it a little bit more. It seems like a lot of times we’ll report a person and we get a response that they couldn’t find enough evidence that they did anything.

“So I think social media has to be able to kind of help us in that sense. But also just [to show] that it’s happening, and we as people have to do the best that we can to stop it, which is a big part of why I’m doing FearlesslyGIRL, going into schools where cyberbullying is also happening, and stopping it at a younger age I think could be really beneficial.”