The USTA today plans to announce it will equip the 102 courts at its under-construction Orlando area training complex with PlaySight video and analytic technology. The $60M site is scheduled to open early next year. PlaySight, based on Israeli Air Force technology, makes smart courts that monitor play through video and analytics. The full system will be on 32 courts, with all courts equipped with HD streaming. PlaySight currently has over 400 smart courts globally, so the USTA contract provides an important boost to the startup both in numbers and promotion.
The system is designed to call lines too, though currently there is no plan to install it at the U.S. Open, which utilizes Hawkeye for line-call challenges. “The adoption of advanced technology is transforming tennis into a hi-tech sport that will attract more players, especially juniors, to play and watch tennis,” said PlaySight co-Founder & CEO Chen Shachar. The USTA is a not investing in PlaySight as part of the new relationship. Read more on PlaySight from SBJ's Company Watch feature.
