A handful of the world's best tennis players "will show up at tournaments within weeks armed with new technology they hope will give them an advantage" at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, according to Ossian Shine of REUTERS. Without identifying the players who would be first to wield the "hi-tech weapons," Babolat CEO/Chair Eric Babolat confirmed some players will use "connected racquets" with sensors "feeding back information" on the players' forehands and backhands. The racquets have been "a decade in development." Babolat: "It could be any week. We have a lot of players testing. It is going to happen very soon." The racquets are "declared legal" by the Int'l Tennis Federation. Babolat: "Quite simply, this is information like we have never been able to get before. It is information direct from the racquet, from the string bed, and it tells us exactly what is happening, not just a feeling from the player." The information "is transmitted through bluetooth to smartphones or tablets where players and coaches can analyze and share their data with other analysts and online communities." Ex-pro and former coach of Wimbledon champion Andy Murray, Mark Petchey said the new technology has "limitless potential" (REUTERS, 5/13).
