Digital Technology is Driving Tennis Experience Beyond the 'Golden Era'

Inclusion, access, experimentation and the social element will be key drivers as Tennis ushers in a new Era

MELBOURNE, Australia, Feb. 25, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Tennis Radar: The Next Big Era, a report by the Infosys Knowledge Institute (IKI), the research and thought leadership arm of Infosys (NYSE: INFY), the global leader in next-generation digital services and consulting found that tennis must embrace new inclusive experiences, powered by technology and analytics to engage the next generation of fans. The research surveyed 3,000 tennis fans globally and interviewed with prominent organisers, coaches, professional players, industry influencers and media.  Infosys is the digital innovation partner of ATP Tour, Australian Open and Roland Garros.

The drive and need for access and inclusion

Tennis participation has grown 10 percent globally in the last 5 years. Tennis has successfully expanded to and has reached new players and audiences across the globe. However, despite this new found reach, experts of the game suggest that there's a large untapped pool who may never watch or play tennis because they think it's "exclusive" and "difficult to play".

The report found that tennis is becoming more accessible through experimentation at all levels, from grassroots to grand slams and through fantasy leagues, Esports and technology like virtual reality that bring new fans to tennis. Nearly a quarter of the players globally come from China (23 percent), yet the country has only 10 percent of the world's tennis courts and only a few clubs, stifling potential growth in a sports market tipped to reach $470 billion by 2025.

While China averages 393 players per court, at the other end of the scale France averages just 87, Australia 104 and Germany 122. The report also found tennis fans are aging, and the average age of tennis fans — in the West, at least — is higher than the average age of the population.

Data analytics and digital technology: creating a level playing field

At the elite level, the research found equal access to detailed player and match data analytics. The report references Infosys' StatsLounge, democratising match data for all players and coaches to analyse their performance, examining crucial match stats using sophisticated filters to generate video clips from more than 1,000 data combinations. But it's not just players and coaches who are hungry for data. The report found fans also seek more detailed match and player insights with the rise of second screen viewing.