HEAD announced Wednesday the pilot of the HEAD Tennis Racquet Finder, an IBM Watson-enabled tool that is the first of its kind in the tennis industry. It relies on artificial intelligence to get consumers personalized racquet recommendations.
HEAD developed its own algorithm to find the optimum racquet for each player, according to the company. The algorithm calculates a match percentage after asking each person questions about gender, age, experience level and technique preferences like hitting flat or spin shots. Multiple-choice questions to the consumer include ones on common errors made on the court and also the main benefit that is wanted out of the racquet. Recommended racquets are based on that input from consumers.
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The Tennis Racquet Finder helps find the relevant results from this analysis, thanks to IBM Watson. By using the Watson Tradeoff Analytics API, the tool presents the top three recommended racquets. Top suggestions are ranked according to Watson’s evaluations of the racquets, including weight, head size and balance, as well as percentage calculations of their suitability.
As part of the pilot program, HEAD is launching a sweepstakes campaign called “Play Better.” Those who use the new racquet selector are entered for the chance to win one of 365 racquets or one of 365 12-packs of Penn Tennis Balls to be given away this year.