Technology to Monitor and Enhance the Performance of a Tennis Player

Abstract

Tennis is a popular game played and viewed by millions of people around the world. There is a large impetus for players to improve their game and technology is becoming an important tool in doing this. This chapter discusses the current technology used in tennis and also discusses the biomechanics of the various strokes, so that the application of the technology can be better understood. Since the serve is a crucial part of a player’s game, this chapter focuses on the serve, but still discusses the other tennisstrokes. The chapter is divided into 2 parts: the biomechanics of the strokes and the technology used to monitor tennis. The technology section details some of the major tools to monitor and analyze the tennis swing, including high speed digital cameras, marker-based optical systems, and inertial sensors. Examples are provided of how these technologies can be applied. Finally, a small discussion is presented, which gives an idea of future directions in tennis monitoring.