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

Melbourne, Australia (ots/PRNewswire) - Inclusion, access, experimentation and
the social element will be key drivers as Tennis ushers in a new Era

Tennis Radar: The Next Big Era, a report by the Infosys Knowledge Institute
(IKI) (https://www.infosys.com/about/knowledge-institute.html), the research and
thought leadership arm of Infosys (http://www.infosys.com/) (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.

The age of experiences

The report found that like all consumer products, tennis is no longer a discrete