(Full story)
Created by venerable French tennis company Babolat, which started out in 1875 making strings from animal gut, the soon-to-be-unveiled prototype invention is designed to look and feel just like a regular, hollow-tube racket.
The twist is that the frame is lined with tiny sensors recording reams of data on every volley, lob, serve and drop shot. Uploading this information to a separate monitoring device will allow players to pore over the finer points of their performance without a coach or high-end video equipment.
It could be a big leap forward for a sport where rackets are often seen in a reverential, almost mystical light, and where critical distance and scientific analysis are left to the pros.
"There is an imaginary side to a player's racket, that it's like Excalibur, the sword that will win it all," says Eric Babolat, the company's grey-haired but youthful-looking 42-year-old chief executive, at his offices in Lyon, southeast France.
"We feel that people are looking for more rationality, more information on what is actually happening."
LYON, France |
(Reuters) - Budding tennis stars who dream of being the next Novak
Djokovic should think twice before shelling out for more coaching when
they might better invest in the racket that tracks every move.Created by venerable French tennis company Babolat, which started out in 1875 making strings from animal gut, the soon-to-be-unveiled prototype invention is designed to look and feel just like a regular, hollow-tube racket.
The twist is that the frame is lined with tiny sensors recording reams of data on every volley, lob, serve and drop shot. Uploading this information to a separate monitoring device will allow players to pore over the finer points of their performance without a coach or high-end video equipment.
It could be a big leap forward for a sport where rackets are often seen in a reverential, almost mystical light, and where critical distance and scientific analysis are left to the pros.
"There is an imaginary side to a player's racket, that it's like Excalibur, the sword that will win it all," says Eric Babolat, the company's grey-haired but youthful-looking 42-year-old chief executive, at his offices in Lyon, southeast France.
"We feel that people are looking for more rationality, more information on what is actually happening."
