Top Tennis Technology for 2024
Do you want to fast forward your tennis game into the future? There are a number of innovative new tech gadgets and apps available to all players from helping you track your swing, measure your serve speed, monitor your fitness levels, listen to music while you’re playing, massage your muscles to even using a chargeable portable ball machine when you can’t find a partner to hit with. Let’s be honest, who wouldn’t want a 24/7 tennis partner or sports massager?
LTA level three qualified tennis coach and tennis journalist, Melina Bailey-Harris, explores the top tennis tech available in 2023 to help you harness our incredible technological advances to turbo boost your game, recovery and fitness tracking to the next level.
1. Apple Watch Series 8 with the SwingVision App on the Apple App Store
Wearable fitness trackers have been helping tennis fanatics track their tennis workouts for years now. This new Apple Watch Series 8 helps you keep track of your heart rate during a match or hit, measure your blood oxygen levels and your overall VO2 Max cardio fitness levels. However, with the innovative SwingVision App on the Apple App Store, presented at Apple’s 2021 Spring and Autumn keynote and developed by experts at Apple and Tesla, you can also follow your movements and the trajectory of the ball in real time and analyse all data, including speed, depth and accuracy. With this app you can even challenge your opponent’s dodgy line calls! All you need to do is download the app, keep your phone in a corner of the court and wear your Apple Watch on the arm holding the racket.
SwingVision is the official player and ball tracking app of Tennis Australia, the LTA and the ITA and was developed with the help of Andy Roddick and James Blake, the two players amongst the first of its investors, giving you statistical analysis on a par with the pros. During conception, Roddick said: “SwingVision is the first solution to bring sports intelligence to any court in the world, using just your smartphone. I’m thrilled to work with the team as they push the boundaries of tennis and technology”. Meanwhile, Blake commented: “On tour, we had to pay thousands of dollars to achieve our potential on the court. Now, thanks to SwingVision, professional-grade technology is available in a handy app for tennis players of every level.” Indeed, SwingVision is the only app capable of providing professional quality video analysis in real time due to a single camera.
Key Features
– Tracks shot speed, depth, accuracy and rally length
– Analyses match stats and gets scoreboards on your video
– Trims dead-time and creates video highlights of your best rallies
– Gives you personalised coaching after each session
– Allows you to set weekly goals and improve your game over time
– You get to compete against players around the world
– Your videos are saved in icloud
Where to Buy?
You can sign up for a free 30-day trial and after the 30 days, the pro monthly subscription is $24.99 a month and the pro yearly subscription is $149.99 ($12.49 per month) per year from your itunes account. Visit SwingTennis for more information.
2. Slinger Bag Portable Ball Machine
Do you struggle to always get a reliable consistent hitting partner? Have you always wanted to be able to play tennis at a moment’s notice? You may have already seen the Slinger Bag advertised at a number of the big tournaments around the world; the innovative chargeable and portable ball machine on wheels has taken the tennis community by storm. The team behind the Slinger Bag wanted to produce an affordable, portable and accessible ball launcher for both recreational and professional level players. All you have to do is charge the Slinger Bag at home – like you do with your phone – and voila you have your own hitting partner, who not only never misses but can hit with incredible topspin too! You can change the speed, amount of spin and direction of the balls and can move the Slinger Bag anywhere on the court. There are hundreds of different training drills you can use and it also comes with an oscillator which fires the ball at you from side to side. Targeted to be 50% cheaper than other ball machine competitors, you can also get a discount if you are a member of the LTA and there is an affiliate scheme for LTA accredited coaches who recommend the product.
Chris Pollard, LTA Head of Strategy & Innovation, said: “Slinger Bag is a unique piece of equipment that can be used and enjoyed by people across the tennis community; from elite professionals to grassroots coaches to families just getting started in the game. Innovation is a key part of the LTA’s vision to open up tennis to more people, and this partnership will play an important role as we work towards achieving that. Our insight shows that 21% of people cite not having a partner as a reason for not playing tennis, and Slinger Bag is a solution to this problem – providing a way into the game for people without the need for someone on the other side of the net. This agreement also allows our Performance team to continue their programme of using cutting edge technology to support elite British players both at home and while on tour.”
Furthermore, Mike Ballardie, Chief Executive Officer of Slinger Bag said: “Slinger Bag is delighted to become the latest in an impressive list of LTA Commercial Partners and we look forward to supporting the LTA’s wider efforts to grow the game of tennis in the UK by making Slinger Bag a must have piece of tennis equipment for LTA members – players of all ages and abilities, LTA affiliated coaches across the UK and LTA affiliated clubs. For the first time ever in tennis, Slinger Bag allows you to get out and play tennis 24/7. Slinger is your perfect practice partner.”
Want more information?
The Slinger bag is extensively covered by several prominent Tennis influencers, including Tennis Mentor – Ashley Neaves. You can explore one of his videos here.
3. Bose SoundSport Wireless Headphones
When training with your SlingerBag or a hitting partner, a lot of players now like to listen to music to keep them motivated and entertained while on court. Young stars such as Nick Kyrgios can often be seen walking on court with their headphones. The Bose SoundSport Wireless Headphones are the perfect accessory on court for when you feel you need your favourite music to keep you on track.
These wireless headphones are built specifically for sports people, with sweat and weather resistance and earbuds designed to stay totally secure while you smash your forehands, backhands, serves and volleys. The cable around your neck (with its microphone) allows you to take that important call and even carry on playing, while you can easily rest the earphones on your shoulder should your partner or coach want to discuss something with you. They have up to 6 hours of battery life per charge (charging time is 2 hours).
4. Theragun Prime 4th Generation Percussive Therapy Massager by Therabody,
Massage guns are a life-saver for any tennis player with their ability to offer deep muscle treatment for your body’s needs after and in between tennis workouts. Fancy being your own deep tissue massager? Then look no further! This therapy massager by Therabody (available from John Lewis online) is the perfect balance of strength and style and makes hardly any noise so your loved ones won’t get annoyed with you while you ease away any muscle aches and pains quietly! It runs with less noise than the standard electric toothbrush.
The essential Smart Percussive Therapy device is ergonomically designed for everyone in mind. It comes with an intuitive app to be your guide to help release the everyday strain and stress in your muscles as an avid tennis player. The 16mm amplitude reaches 60% deeper into the muscle (at 40 times per second) than the average electronic massager to stimulate circulation, generate heat, and release your deepest tension to make sure you are ready to play your next tennis match or training session.
I’m sure you have all reached into your tight spots in your muscles with a tennis ball, but nothing will compare to the attachments that come with this Thermagun Prime. Each one has been tailored and precisely engineered to cater for every tennis player’s needs. There is a dampener for tender areas or near bones, a standard ball for overall use, a thumb for trigger point therapy and a cone for pinpoint muscle treatment. So there you have it! You can be your own personal sports masseuse in the comfort of your own home.
