Player Analysis Technology: Hawk-Eye
Originally published on 22/09/14
Six months have now passed since the ITF introduced Rule 31 to allow the monitored use of Player Analysis Technology, opening the door to a new wave of equipment that collects, stores, transmits, analyses or communicates player performance. We take a closer look at the approved PAT products that give an insight into how this ruling could change the way we watch, play and coach the sport for future generations.
Yes, the very same Hawk-Eye that the crowds clap and the players curse when calling lines also has its coaching uses – understandably so, given the mountain of data collected in the course of a single match. Confined to matches played on courts featuring Hawk-Eye’s multi-camera configuration (so, not your practice courts any time soon, unless you play at Queen’s or the All England Club at the right time of year), the Officiating Replay System (ORS) makes far greater use of the unlimited HD broadcast camera angles recorded simultaneously than television ever could.
Before ORS, players and coaches hoping to learn lessons from match highlights were limited to the whims of the broadcast director – watching most of the action from the traditional behind-the-court angle and getting short snippets of close-ups and slo-mo replays between points. Hawk-Eye offers the complete picture – all camera feeds are recorded in sync, allowing for split-screen views showing the action of one player from multiple angles, combined with the reactions of the opponent.
What’s more, there’s the almost limitless supply of 3D shot logging and statistical analysis we’ve come to know and love while watching the biggest tournaments on TV. In the future, the hope is that coaching stables worldwide will install the system and work with Hawk-Eye trained support staff to improve every aspect of your game.
This is an extract from 'Technically Speaking' by Michael Beattie which appeared in tennishead Volume 5 Issue 4. Subscribe to the magazine today or download tennishead on iTunes.
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