Tennis has embraced technology about as much as any sport in a variety of different areas. The sport has nearly eliminated any controversy on whether a ball landed in or out in professional tournaments, and the equipment continues to get better. Additionally, tennis features several different playing surfaces, and each of them has their own unique styles of play.
Hawk-Eye
In one of the most revolutionary technological advances in sports history, tennis uses Hawk-Eye, which is a computerized system that determines whether a ball landed in or out of play. The system uses six or more cameras that all track the ball in real time, and they combine together for an accurate 3D representation of where the ball landed. This technology was first used in a grand slam tournament in 2006.
When there is a major controversy in other sports in determining whether or not a player was in or out of bounds, many people in sports media will point to tennis and how this sport uses technology to avoid issues like this.
The operation was needed for tournaments that were played during the COVID-19 pandemic as well. Hawk-Eye Live featured automated line calls in real time to replace human line judges at a time when tournaments were doing anything they could to eliminate the number of people in close contact with each other.
Equipment
As in almost all other sports, equipment has evolved in tennis due to improvements in technology. When tennis first started, players were using wooden rackets. The rackets evolved from wood to metal to where they are now, which are composite frames made of graphite, titanium and carbon fiber. With these materials, tennis rackets are much lighter and allow for a faster swing.
Playing Surfaces
Not only has the equipment made changes, the actual playing surface has changed dramatically throughout the years. The four main surfaces still being used are grass, clay, hard and carpet courts. Players need to prepare for the surface they will be competing on as it can significantly change how their game is played.
Tennis has done a lot to change its sport through technology and is among the pioneers of how sports can improve in the modern era.
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