Tennis has been around since centuries ago and since then , there have been numerous changes to this sport. For one, tennis is progressively shedding its elitist image and increasing its penetration to the masses.
Just two years ago, Forbes published an article that painted a seemingly gloomy outlook for this sport.Titled “American Tennis Isn’t Dying But It Does Need Help“, it raised several alarming concerns including the startling fact that for the first time in 101 years, no tennis players from the States had progressed to the third round at Wimbledon.
To summarize this extensive read, here are the factors deemed to have contributed to the near extinction of those glory days for American tennis players in 2013:
1) Failure of the United States Tennis Association ‘s player development programme
2) Tennis, among other sports, has one of the steepest learning curve that can be unforgiving especially for beginner players
3) Low penetration rate of tennis to children not well acquainted with the sport
Reviving American tennis would then, require the cooperation of “… all of them, from the USTA to private academies and independent coaches, are sorely needed for the country to succeed in the sport.” However, with the addition of rule #31 by the ITF in 2014, we believe that this tremendous burden on those tennis powers can be lightened.
Essentially with this new rule, it means that the ITF has given its consensus to the use of technological tennis equipment during competitions, reflecting the rising popularity and increasing usage of such smart devices by professional players. While most of you might already be aware of this, what is actually more exciting is that such tennis technology could be the solution needed to get more into this sport and could even be providing us with a thrilling preview of the future of tennis.
With accurate statistical feedback provided in real time that analyze each stroke and ball that you hit, it is now easier than ever for new players. These smart devices including sensors would also allow tennis coaches to provide data in order to enhance their students’ learning experience. While it might be too ambitious for us to say now that these devices are able to groom you to a season pro playing on the Wimbledon courts, we believe that with them, the future of tennis is in fact, quite exhilarating.
At this point, before we sound a little too optimistic about the future of sports technology, Tech crunch’s recently published article, Investors Swing For The Fences with $1B In Sports Tech Deals, should have you thinking otherwise.
So, perhaps now should be the right time for your to invest in your own smart device and start materializing your passion for tennis (or any other sport actually) because as cliché as it might sound, practice can indeed, make one perfect.
