Two cameras, one on each side of the track, capture everything that happens. They don’t lose detail. Through their own algorithms, they follow both the ball and the players. Data, data and more data for everyone: from professionals to amateurs. Adrià Torrent, a hitter with the paddle in his hand, points up. “This is the entire installation, it does not require anything else. From here, all the statistics come out”, he summarizes before sharing the game with two AS editors. The Catalan, a career mathematician, is one of the founding partners of Aiball, an artificial intelligence company for paddle tennis that aims to revolutionize the aforementioned sport. “It’s a before and after. I don’t think there is anything like it. Yes, there are statistical programs or programs that provide biomechanical analysis, but nothing like this. “It’s what I had always looked for,” confirms Ángel González, coach of the world number one, Ari Sánchez, in conversation with this newspaper.
González, Angelote within the guild, has already implemented Aiball in his and Ari’s routine, who feels very comfortable with the tool. “From the moment we joined the project, we had the idea that it would be a help in my daily life and, without a doubt, it is. Among other things, it measures my reaction times and my power in each blow, it allows me to see in which aspects I can improve, how to do more damage to my rivals… In addition to the whole sporting part, it is also being a good experience at the level business,” says the player, champion this year in the P1 in Riyadh and in the major in Qatar, to AS. They have only been working with artificial intelligence for five months, but they are already noticing its benefits. “Right now, it’s going well for us; But tomorrow will be very good for us,” says Angelote, who last year, along with her pupil, was recognized as the best coach of the year.
