Technology

How Tennis Is Serving Up Real-Time Analytics for Members and Media

The Women's Tennis Association has leveraged a close partnership with the technology company SAP to help build analytics tools for the sport—first for players and coaches, and now for the media.

Looking for a real-world example of how to integrate data analytics in a way that directly benefits your members and the public?

Look no further than the Women’s Tennis Association, which has invested significant time and energy in creating a real-time analytics platform for players, coaches, and tournament organizers. It launched the platform in 2015 with the help of the technology company SAP.

Now, WTA is planning to give credentialed members of the media access to the same data. The software, which the group will make available during the 2018 WTA tour, will offer instant player comparison data during matches, along with information on “outlier” matches and real-time statistics about what’s happening on the court.

“The role of data in tennis continues to grow in importance across the entire tennis community, and particularly among tennis journalists who play an integral role in storytelling throughout the season,” WTA President Micky Lawler said in a news release. “The opportunity now to have access to SAP’s blueprint of real-time insights can take the art of tennis journalism to new heights.”

To tailor the platform to meet journalists’ needs, SAP collaborated directly with members of the media to get feedback on the new offering.

“The real-time nature of insights provided by SAP Tennis Analytics for media has the ability to help media create richer content and change the way our audiences utilize data before, during, and after tournament play,” noted Jenni Lewis, SAP’s head of tennis technology.

The partnership between the association and the technology company is in its fifth year.

(via SAP)

Ernie Smith

By Ernie Smith

Ernie Smith is a former senior editor for Associations Now. MORE

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