The world of things connected to the Internet (or at least to smartphones) has recently expanded to include the tennis racket developed by Babolat, one of the big names in this industry.
Since there are smartphone assisted sports shoes and even smart socks, Babolat figured out that a smartphone connected tennis racket would complete the picture quite nicely.
Even though manufacturers of sports equipment usually classify their products according to the experience of the sportsmen using them, Babolat makes no discrimination with their smart racket. The target audience of Babolat Play is represented in equal parts by amateurs who want to learn how they could improve their game, and professional tennis players who need to work on the small details that keeps their game from being perfect.
Babolat Play might not replace personal trainers right away, but it provides enough data to make such a trainer a bit less necessary. The collected performance data includes the player’s swing, endurance, power and ball impact, all of which are vital for learning how to play properly.
Eric Babolat, the CEO and president of the company, explains that he decided to bring on a revolution in this field because “The lack of data collected during a tennis game is perceived as a real deficiency.”
Collecting data to improve future performance seems to become a trend nowadays. Chevrolet included the Performance Data Recorder, various manufacturers of fitness trackers also made use of this, and now it’s Babolat’s turn to do the same.
The app that comes with this smart tennis racket also provides access to an online community, so players actually have the chance to compare their results against the ones of their friends. Competition is what makes most people strive for progress, so the inclusion of this feature is more than welcome.
This white sport isn’t among the cheapest ones to practice, and Babolat Play is yet another proof for that. Players will have to pay $399 for this smart tennis racket, but an official launch date has yet to be announced. It’s too bad that the promotional video focuses more on playing the actual game and less on the features of the racket and of the app. Hopefully, we’ll get to see some YouTube reviews of this product in the near future.
If you liked this post, please check the Rolomotion app that brings console gaming to Apple TV and the 15 cool tennis gadgets even Roger Federer would love.
