Tennis fans, especially those hooked on the Open tournaments, are able to enjoy a season of top-flight games almost a year-long, beginning with the Australian Open in January and ending with the US Open in September. Many more events – whether individual tournaments or internationals – are sandwiched in between.
Whether it’s Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner or the legendary Novak Djokovic in the men’s tournaments, Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek or Coco Gauff in the women’s, the level of individual talent rises constantly. These improvements are attributable to the amazing natural talents of the athletes, combined with the best coaching the sport can offer. The right coach can make all the difference between being a player and being a champion.
While elite-level coaches are still very much the preserve of elite-level players, the ability to improve natural talent through tennis coaching is open to players at all levels. Looking to level this playing field further is Norwegian B2B sports technology company SportAI.
Founded in late 2023 by tech and software industry experts Lauren Pedersen (CEO), Felipe Longé (chief technology officer) and Trond Kittelsen (head of commercial), the company’s basic mission is to enhance tennis technique through tactical analysis, coaching and commentary. With expertise in computer vision and machine learning, SportAI looks to use artificial intelligence (AI) to offer instant data-driven insights to training facilities, teams, broadcasters, retailers and equipment brands. Still in its early days, the company has raised $3.6m in funding to date.
For the love of tennis
The company’s management combines technology expertise and a passion for tennis. In addition to extensive experience growing global tech firms, Pederson competed in NCAA Division 1 college tennis and represented Norway at the 2023 ITF Tennis Masters World Championships. As well as being an entrepreneur and sports technology product expert, Kittelsen was CEO of Sevensix Tennis, the provider of an app designed to analyse tennis technique to help players upgrade their game by comparing their technique to that of a professional player.
Kittelsen describes the team as tennis “nerds”, watching all the games and following all the stats. But on a serious note, he insists the company is on a mission to democratise all the insight for everyone, and to do that, it needed a great tech team comprising machine learning engineers, AI experts, mathematicians, and experts in physics and physiology. Added to these are people with a proven track record in commerce.
Pedersen is adamant that with her company’s solution, insight into how to play tennis effectively can now be delivered cost-effectively and in a way that is comparable to the likes of Strava and Fitbit for runners. She notes that until now, a vast number of participants, without access to complicated technology, could play many games of tennis, yet not have any idea about how they had hit shots or how to improve.
The basic principle of the SportAI platform is that every movement a tennis player makes matters. After taking in video of tennis action – by using a standard mobile device such as an iPhone, sophisticated TV setups, or court-mounted cameras – the software uses machine learning and biomechanical analysis to build detailed 3D visuals of playing style. Once ingested into the SportAI system, data is uploaded to the Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud, analysed and made available in seconds.
The SportAI app uses computer vision to check a player’s limbs and joints, tracking movement and the load on the racquet during shots and the follow-through of the racket after the ball impact
The app uses computer vision to check a player’s limbs and joints, tracking movement and the load on the racket during shots and the follow-through of the racket after the ball impact. It can measure biomechanics, swing curve, power generation and where the players hit the ball. It shows clearly the kinetic chain in making a shot – that is the sequence of shot creation from hip, shoulder and wrist position – generating an analysis from which it’s possible to see what needs to be improved.
For example, ball speed is a function of wrist speed, and the SportAI app can generate a swing curve, comparing it to that of a professional player. The AI within the app can display the velocity and rotation of hips and shoulders. All of this can be used by coaches to improve performance.
The SportAI app can measure wrist and racket speed, and generate a swing curve, comparing it to that of a professional player
The subsequent data generated can be provided to individuals or to sports federations, academies, or equipment providers and manufacturers to see how people play and what can be done to improve technique. The data can also be compared with that of elite players to receive personalised improvement recommendations.
The analysis can also automatically jump to key points if there is something specific to focus on. Stats could include how many forehand shots a player hits in a given time, or they can generate highlights such as the longest rally in a game or action with the highest intensity.
The SportAI software uses machine learning and biomechanical analysis to build detailed 3D visuals of playing style
“If you take a tennis lesson today, it might cost $100 an hour anywhere in the world. And you might have a good coach, [but even if] you had three or four good coaches looking at your serve feedback, there would be no data to back it up. Now, with advances in computer vision and machine learning, you could change that,” says Pedersen.
“So instead of having to have sensors on your body to track movement and biomechanical analysis, now almost every pixel on the video starts to become something you can use to track and gather data from, and then use that [data] to power different experiences and feedback,” she adds.
SportAI aims to enhance tennis player technique through tactical analysis, coaching and commentary
“[Manufacturers] are potential customers for us to take on this type of technology. Sensors themselves are just not scalable – you would either have to put them on a body or on a racket. It is not as scalable as being able to have a video that can come from a mobile phone or from court-mounted cameras, [which] are becoming more common around the world.”
The SportAI business model is mass market and relies on subscription, available to individuals, federations or equipment manufacturers. Kittelsen adds that manufacturers are particularly interested in the biomechanics information that the video can generate.
“[The video can] track the rotations, the speed and the height of the ball, the precision of the ball. [Manufacturers] do not have a lot of data on biomechanics, and so now we can help them with that. It’s not just looking at the result of hitting the ball; it’s looking at how you get that result, and how you improve the swing. And instead of then [just asking] players how the racket felt, we can understand [how they perform] with data,” says Pedersen.
From Hawk-Eye to AI
In an expression of the confidence it has in the system, SportAI says in testing, it had a player serving a ball and captured data using a standard phone with a standard camera at 30 frames a second at 1080px resolution. This had 98% precision compared with data generated using Hawk-Eye, the ball-tracking technology that is currently used at all the major tennis tournaments.
Yet despite the high-tech involved, Pedersen also emphasises clearly that the solution is for everybody. “This is not just about supporting the top, elite players, because the elite players will often have a performance analyst coach on their team who’s manually doing this on video and can deliver it. But the other 90-something million tennis players typically have no access to this data, so we want coaches and players around the world to get it,” she says.
“It’s sort of universal how you create power around [shots], and [knowledge of that] is something we see that recreation players and beginner players [would want]. It’s super motivating to want to get better. And when you have some ground data, you can go out and improve. People then want to go back on court because they want to get better,” adds Pedersen.
In terms of development challenges, the company says a number of business and technical issues have had to come together to get the company to where it is. In addition to gaining investment, the company has had to educate its market by showing coaches and players how they can use the technology and how it can be simultaneously better for both of them.
AI is becoming a commodity – everyone is using AI in some form. Yes, it can make mistakes, but you can still train it to be smarter and better. We see it as a tool to help and assist tennis coaches Lauren Pedersen, SportAI
“In all businesses, in all verticals, there’s scepticism. It was the same with Hawk-Eye. Ten years ago, nobody believed Hawk-Eye to be accurate enough. Now they’re accepting it. That’s going to happen with AI. AI is becoming a commodity – everyone is using AI in some form. Yes, it can make mistakes, but you can still train it to be smarter and better. We see it as a tool to help and assist coaches. It’s not taking their place, because, like you see in other industries, it becomes much more effective and efficient, and makes better decisions.”
According to Kittelsen, one surprise the company found using AI in its system was discovering its basic power, how just a single camera with coded AI algorithms can detect and display complex rotations and velocities. “But also, I want to add that the AI is still doing [some things] wrong, so we have to teach it. We have to teach the machine to take away the error percentages. And with the new cameras [on new phones], the quality of video goes up. The processors are faster.”
Acing video capture
The rest of 2025 will see SportAI rolling out the system for its first customers. The company believes it is being helped by tennis clubs increasingly mounting cameras around their courts, aided by the more powerful and cheaper cameras on phones, resulting in better quality video being more accessible for clubs and federations.
The company has also forged a partnership with the Matchi booking system for racket sports venues worldwide. Matchi currently manages about 15,000 tennis courts, 2,000 of them camera-enabled. SportAI will be taking in video streams from these courts to analyse action. It is also working with some equipment brands to generate technique analysis and offer equipment recommendations.
A key technical development for the company will be moving from cloud processing of data to performing data processing at the network edge. In addition to cost savings, this is intended to make it even faster to analyse data and add the capability to perform 3D video analysis. There will also be work on creating AI agents that can be attached to the app, which could be aligned to a federation or an individual player.
Pederson is adamant that SportAI is in business for the long run, and that the data the app picks up could also be useful for injury prevention and healthcare in general. For example, it could show how players’ joints bend and flag any extreme styles that could lead to injury. “Our vision is to democratise access to this type of data. It’s about seeing that value happen worldwide. We’re passionate about sports and technology. We want to see the most kind of progressive coaches, academies and brands taking it on board and really changing the game.”
Last year, Garmin introduced a Pro version that incorporates the inReach’s satellite communications savvy. Not only does it cost at least $400 more than the Apple Watch Ultra and $200 more than the regular Fenix 8, but you also have to pay for the inReach subscription plan, which has several tiers and ranges from $8/month to $50/month depending on whether you want features like unlimited texting or sending photo messages.
What you get for this mind-boggling price is a sports watch that can do anything and everything. It has best-in-class battery life (every Fenix can last for weeks on a single charge, and up to a month with solar charging) and features like the depth sensor from Garmin’s Descent line, which means this watch works as a full-on dive computer for scuba and free diving. It has a microphone and speaker for basic voice commands (although no onboard cellular connectivity), the surprisingly useful built-in LED flashlight, and Garmin’s signature built-in topographic maps, 24/7 health monitoring, and tracking for over a hundred different activities.
I’ve taken the 51-mm version on pretty much every outdoor sport—snowboarding, trail running, mountain biking, and rock climbing. Every time I use it, its capabilities far outclass my own. I have irritated many a fellow climber by attempting to track route difficulty, duration, and falls while integrating my Body Battery metrics and so on. The danger is always that you’ll spend more time fiddling with your Garmin Fenix 8 than you do with your actual sport. I have the version with the sapphire glass face and the titanium bezel, and have smashed it into rock faces with nary a scratch. If you’re up for paying the price and want a good-looking watch that will last forever (I have friends who are still wearing their Fenix 5s and 6s, and honestly, they’re fine), this is the one to get.
Best Running Watch
The Garmin Forerunner series launched in the early 2000s and has become the quintessential runner’s watch. Like all Garmins, the Forerunner comes in a range of price points, each offering different features. Last year, Garmin released the Forerunner 570 ($550), a midrange model with no LED flashlight or onboard maps, and the Forerunner 970 ($750), which is the premium version. Before I go into detail about why the Forerunner 970 is the best option, I should also say that I have tested many previous Garmin Forerunners at various price points. If you’re not a triathlete, the older Forerunners are still worth considering, and the entry-level $200 Forerunner 165 is aimed explicitly at runners, instead of including triathletes as the more expensive models do.
Acer is one of the top largest PC manufacturers in the world, perhaps best known for its gaming line and budget-friendly options. If you’ve already got your eye on an Acer product like a laptop or monitor, and are shopping at the company’s online storefront, you should be using one of these Acer promo codes and coupons to save some cash on your purchase.
Save 40% on Accessories When You Build an Acer Bundle
If you’re buying from Acer, you’re most likely shopping for either a desktop PC or laptop. With this discount, you can get a really solid deal on accessories if you bundle it with a mouse, laptop bag, or headset. When you go to purchase a PC, just click “Build Bundle” and you’ll see some of the eligible options, all of which are reduced by 40%. The Nitro Mechanical Keyboard, for example, goes from $50 to just $30. That 40% is a real discount, too, as that same keyboard costs $50 on Amazon when I checked.
Beyond peripheral add-ons, you can also save 10% off Acer Care Plus extended service plans or McAfee LiveSafe antivirus subscriptions. You can bundle up to five products together to save the most money. If you’re headed off to college (or have a kid in the family), a bundle like this can get you everything you need for a gaming or studying setup on the go.
Shop Rotating Weekly Deals on Monitors and Gaming Gear
Acer’s PC gaming offerings come in either the flagship Predator brand or the budget-tier Nitro. Acer offers rotating weekly deals on everything from monitors to gaming laptops, some of which are my favorites that I’ve tested in their given category. The Acer Nitro V 16, for example, was a budget gaming laptop that I recommended quite a lot last year because of its incredible price. The one I tested was the entry-level version with an Nvidia RTX 5050 inside, but Acer has the RTX 5060 model in its own storefront. It’s $100 off right now at $1,200, which comes with 16 GB of RAM and a terabyte of storage. In fact, it’s only $30 more than the RTX 5050 model, despite offering a significant jump in gaming performance. These discounts are reflected right on the product pages, so there’s no promo code, discount code, or coupon code required.
Acer has a wide selection of monitors available, too, whether that’s a massive 49-incher or a more modest 27-inch gaming workhorse. One of my favorite discounts I saw right now was the Acer Nitro XV2, a 27-inch 1440p display with a 300 Hz refresh rate. It’s 44% off at the time of writing, bringing the price down to just $250. Because these discounts are swapped out on a weekly basis, it’s worth checking back to see if the product you’re eyeing has a new discount.
Select Customers Can Get 15% Off Their Purchase
Acer also offers a number of added discounts at checkout, including 15% off for students. Students will need to verify through Student Beans or SheerID. Because a lot of the devices Acer offers are budget-friendly, they can be attractive for students, and the extra 15% off is the icing on the cake.
We tested the Acer Swift 16 AI last year and really enjoyed the high-resolution, OLED screen and impressively quiet performance. Acer has the smaller version of this same laptop available, the Swift 14 AI, which is currently $150 off. You also might check out the Acer Chromebook Plus 514, a laptop we liked quite a bit when we reviewed it in 2024.
The world’s top AI research conference, the Conference on Neural Information Processing Systems—better known as NeurIPS—became the latest organization this week to become embroiled in a growing clash between geopolitics and global scientific collaboration. The conference’s organizers announced and then quickly reversed controversial new restrictions for international participants after Chinese AI researchers threatened to boycott the event.
“This is a potential watershed moment,” says Paul Triolo, a partner at the advisory firm DGA-Albright Stonebridge who studies US-China relations. Triolo argues that attracting Chinese researchers to NeurIPS is beneficial to US interests, but some American officials have pushed for American and Chinese scientists to decouple their work—especially in AI, which has become a particularly sensitive topic in Washington.
The incident could deepen political tensions around AI research, as well as dissuade Chinese scientists from working at US universities and tech companies in the future. “At some level now it is going to be hard to keep basic AI research out of the [political] picture,” Triolo says.
In its annual handbook for paper submissions, issued in mid-March, NeurIPS organizers announced updated restrictions for participation. The rules stated that the event could not provide services including “peer review, editing, and publishing” to any organizations subject to US sanctions, and linked to a database of sanctioned entities. It included companies and organizations on the Bureau of Industry and Security’s entity list and those on another list with alleged ties to the Chinese military.
The new rules would have affected researchers at Chinese companies like Tencent and Huawei who regularly present work at NeurIPS. The database also includes entities from other countries such as Russia and Iran. The US places limits on doing business with these organizations, but there are no rules around academic publishing or conference participation.
The NeurIPS handbook has since been updated to specify that the restrictions apply only to Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons, a list used primarily for terrorist groups and criminal organizations.
“In preparing the NeurIPS 2026 handbook, we included a link to a US government sanctions tool that covers a significantly broader set of restrictions than those NeurIPS is actually required to follow,” the event’s organizers said in a statement issued Friday. “This error was due to miscommunication between the NeurIPS Foundation and our legal team.”
Before they reversed course, the conference organizers initially said that the new rule was “about legal requirements that apply to the NeurIPS Foundation, which is responsible for complying with sanctions,” adding that it was seeking legal consultation on the issue.
Immediate Backlash
The new rule drew swift backlash from AI researchers around the world, particularly in China, which produces a large quantity of cutting-edge machine learning papers and is home to a growing share of the world’s top AI talent. Several academic groups there issued statements condemning the measure and, more importantly, discouraging Chinese academics from attending NeurIPS in the future. Some urged Chinese academics to contribute instead to domestic research conferences, potentially helping increase the country’s influence in relevant science and tech fields.
The China Association of Science and Technology (CAST), an influential government-affiliated organization for scientists and engineers, said Thursday that it would stop providing funding for Chinese scholars traveling to attend NeurIPS and would use the money instead to support domestic and international conferences that “respect the rights of Chinese scholars.”
CAST also said it will no longer count publications at the 2026 NeurIPS conference as academic achievements when evaluating future research funding. It’s unclear if the organization will reverse course now that NeurIPS has walked back the new rule.
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