The latest Wimbledon tennis championship promises to elevate spectator engagement by leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) for commentary and player analysis. These AI-generated tools also include personalized highlights and a novel draw analysis feature, ensuring an unparalleled single’s journey to the finals.

As announced on June 21 by the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) and IBM, Wimbledon, the world’s most prestigious tennis tournament, is set to pioneer this innovative technology across its digital platforms.

The newly introduced AI commentary feature, a collaborative effort between AELTC and IBM, will employ IBM’s WatsonX technology to generate audio and captions for match highlights videos. This groundbreaking tool is built to offer insights into key moments utilizing tennis-specific vocabulary.

Usama Al-Qassab, the AELTC’s Marketing and Commercial Director, commented:

“In our ongoing mission to innovate with IBM, we aim to offer Wimbledon enthusiasts worldwide an insightful and captivating digital experience of The Championships.”

He further mentioned that the AI functionality would enable fans to enjoy commentary on an “expanded range of matches.”

Although expert commentary is available for Wimbledon’s “show courts” during crucial matches, other events, including seniors, juniors, and wheelchair matches, often lack specific expert analysis.

IBM, a Wimbledon Championships partner since 1990, will introduce several AI-driven analysis tools such as a player “Power Index,” match insights, and personalized highlights. A draw analysis feature will also debut, introducing a unique statistic that gauges the ease of each player’s journey to the singles final.

Jonathan Adashek, IBM’s Senior Vice President of Marketing and Communications, acknowledges the potential of AI to augment significant sporting events like Wimbledon and draw broader audiences by offering unmatched digital experiences.

Reports suggest IBM researchers have been developing AI software capable of detailed sports match commentary since 2019. Most recently, the company incorporated AI-generated commentary in the Masters Tournament golf championship clips in April.

The integration of AI in sports events, as Wimbledon 2023 is doing, is a big step forward in offering fans more personalized and enriched experiences. This combination of AI and sports is set to change the game by allowing for more detailed player analysis, personalized highlights, and draw analysis. For sports enthusiasts, this promises a new era of engagement, bringing them closer to the action and providing deeper insights into the game they love.