Do you remember when artificial intelligence Deepblue defeated world chess champion Kasparov? Well, forget it, because in tennis AI doesn't want to beat us, but to train us better. The robotic tennis coach Tennisix di T-Apex, presented a few days ago on Kickstarter, is the evolution of a sector that seemed frozen: now, from simple ball-throwing machines we move on to a mobile robot that follows you, analyzes your game and responds accordingly.
It is no coincidence that the project reached its funding goal in just five minutes. Because this is not just technology, it is a methodological revolution in training.
A Robot Tennis Coach That Responds to Your Movements
Tenniix, as I said, is not the usual ball launcher that we all know. It is an intelligent robot that weighs just 7 kg but contains enormous potential. Thanks to an integrated 1080p camera, it can track your movements on the court and respond in real time. Imagine training with a machine that does not simply shoot balls in a predictable way, but that adapts the trajectory, speed and spin based on where you are positioned and how you move. Like a real-life tennis coach.
The device He has been trained on more than 8000 hours of professional coaching and real meetings, which allows it to understand the dynamics of the game and adapt to any skill level. With its gimbal that allows for a 46° horizontal rotation and a 50° vertical rotation, it can simulate virtually any shot: from high lobs to powerful forehands on the baseline. Ready?
Not quite like training with Sinner but…
The champions as Jannik Sinner can count on trained staff (except for the occasional costly slip-up) and a team of dedicated coaches: and amateur players? They increasingly find themselves short of partners to train with. That's what Tenniix is for: his ability to hit serves at up to 120 km/h makes him a challenging opponent even for good level players.
The cool thing is that this robotic tennis coach can be customized with over 1000 preset exercises. It may not have Alcaraz's two-handed backhand (yet) or the tactical variety of a human coach, but it does offer something no coach can guarantee: 24/7 availability and absolute consistency in its shots. 15-0 for him, come on.
Robot Tennis Coach: How Much Can It Cost?
The robot is offered in three versions: Basic, Pro and Ultra, with launch prices on Kickstarter ranging from $699 to $1499. The most advertised version, the $999 Pro version (like all the “medium” versions: it's marketing, baby), includes a module with voice control via bracelet and an app that stores the data collected during the sessions.
Imagine what a young man could have done Sinner with such a tool in the valleys of South Tyrol, where finding high-level training partners is not always easy. But this is just the beginning: the vision of T-Apex (a San Francisco company with experience in the field of robotics for sports conditioning since 2018) is to create a tool that can democratize access to quality training.
The future of training
T-Apex is not the only company exploring this territory. At Georgia Tech, researchers have developed ESTHER, a wheelchair-mounted tennis robot. What sets Tenniix apart, however, is its practicality: it can hold up to 100 balls and the battery lasts about four hours (enough to hit something like 4000 serves).
It may not be time to fire human tennis coaches just yet, and thank goodness for that, but one thing is certain: the future of tennis training will be increasingly technological. And perhaps one day, when we see the next Sinner lift a Grand Slam trophy, we'll know that he had a little robot on his staff who helped him perfect his game.
