OREANDA-NEWS. August 06, 2015. The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) and SAP SE (NYSE: SAP) today announced that in a team effort they have developed SAP Tennis Analytics software for coaches.

For the first time ever in professional tennis, players and coaches can access real-time performance data during live match play — starting at the Bank of the West Classic at Stanford University.

SAP Tennis Analytics for coaches powered by SAP HANA is available exclusively for the WTA and on WTA-authorized tablets. It provides insight to help players and coaches analyze performance and optimize strategy. That could mean the difference between winning or losing the next point, set, match — or even championship.

Examples of statistics provided by SAP Tennis Analytics include:

  • Side-by-side comparisons of the full list of match stats for both players, updated every 15 seconds
  • Scoring data that analyzes player’s service performance, success rate in closing out a game while serving and number of break points saved
  • Tracking data which shows player’s serve direction and placement on the court, contact point for returning a serve and placement of rally shots

“The WTA and SAP Tennis Analytics is a game-changer that will not only enhance our athletes’ preparation and performance but also the fans’ experiences when watching women’s tennis,” said Stacey Allaster, CEO and Chairman of the WTA. “Analyzing data is fundamental to player and coach development, and this state-of-the-art technology, which more and more of our performers are now using, will take our sport to a new and exciting level and lead the way in sports technology.”

SAP, WTA, players and coaches worked together to create a tool that is effectively simple, engaging and provides key real-time information that is crucial to player performance during practice, competition and following matches.

Since the introduction of the on-court technology platform last October, the WTA and SAP have tested and incorporated feedback from players and coaches at tournaments around the world. New updates now available for players and coaches include the addition of filters and pre-defined scenarios so that players can drill into the data at various levels — for example, by set, game score, winners, errors, unreturned serves, etc.; an archive mode, which allows the users to review completed match data within the same tournament; and custom-designed cases to withstand all environmental elements.

“Our relationship with the WTA is another example of how SAP collaborates with partners to create ground-breaking solutions that change the way athletes utilize data and information to optimize their performance,” said Quentin Clark, Chief Technology Officer and member of the Global Managing Board, SAP. “After months of testing, enhancements and feedback, we’re excited that coaches and players have the opportunity to begin utilizing SAP Tennis Analytics on the court during tournament match play.”

Coaches will have the opportunity to use SAP Tennis Analytics at six additional WTA events in 2015, including the Rogers Cup, Connecticut Open, Wuhan Open, Prudential Hong Kong Tennis Open, BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global and WTA Elite Trophy in Zhuhai, China, with other tournaments slated for 2016. The WTA introduced on-court coaching in 2008 designed to further enhance the entertainment value of women’s tennis to television and live viewers. SAP Tennis Analytics for coaches is an advancement in technology for women’s tennis and part of an entire business transformation the WTA is embracing. This is one example of such technology innovation in women’s tennis, with SAP serving as the leader.

To learn more about the partnership and SAP Tennis Analytics, please visit www.SAPSponsorships.com. For more information, visit the SAP News Center. Follow SAP on Twitter at @SAPSports and @sapnews.

About WTA

The WTA is the global leader in women’s professional sport with more than 2,500 players representing 92 nations competing for a record \\$129 million in prize money at the WTA’s 55 events and four Grand Slams in 33 countries. More than 5.4 million people attended women’s tennis events in 2013 with millions more watching on television and digital channels around the world. The 2015 WTA competitive season concludes with the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore, presented by SC Global, from October 23-November 1, 2015 and the WTA Elite Trophy in Zhuhai, China, from November 2-8, 2015. Further information on the WTA can be found at: www.wtatennis.com; facebook.com/WTA and twitter.com/WTA.

About SAP

As market leader in enterprise application software, SAP (NYSE: SAP) helps companies of all sizes and industries run better. From back office to boardroom, warehouse to storefront, desktop to mobile device – SAP empowers people and organizations to work together more efficiently and use business insight more effectively to stay ahead of the competition. SAP applications and services enable more than 293,500 customers to operate profitably, adapt continuously, and grow sustainably. For more information, visit www.sap.com.

Note to editors:

To preview and download broadcast-standard stock footage and press photos digitally, please visit www.sap.com/photos. On this platform, you can find high resolution material for your media channels. To view video stories on diverse topics, visit www.sap-tv.com. From this site, you can embed videos into your own Web pages, share video via email links, and subscribe to RSS feeds from SAP TV.

For customers interested in learning more about SAP products:

Global Customer Center: +49 180 534-34-24
United States Only: 1 (800) 872-1SAP (1-800-872-1727)

For more information, press only:

Bonnie Rothenstein, SAP, +1 (610) 661-8867, bonnie.rothenstein@sap.com, ET
Brett Cummings, FH for SAP, +1 (212) 453-2469, brett.cummings@fleishman.com, ET
SAP News Center press room; press@sap.com
Amy Binder, WTA, +1 (727) 502-1233, abinder@wtatennis.com, ET

Any statements contained in this document that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements as defined in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “expect,” “forecast,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “project,” “predict,” “should” and “will” and similar expressions as they relate to SAP are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. SAP undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations. The factors that could affect SAP’s future financial results are discussed more fully in SAP’s filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), including SAP’s most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F filed with the SEC. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of their dates.
© 2015 SAP SE. All rights reserved.
SAP and other SAP products and services mentioned herein as well as their respective logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of SAP SE in Germany and other countries. Please see http://www.sap.com/corporate-en/legal/copyright/index.epx#trademark for additional trademark information and notices.