USTA to Utilize PlayReplay Electronic Line-Calling at Junior National Events
October 31, 2024
ORLANDO, Fla., October 31, 2024 – The USTA today announced that the upcoming USTA Junior National Indoor Championships will utilize PlayReplay electronic line-calling in competition, marking the first time USTA national junior tournaments have formally featured ELC in play. The Boys’ and Girls’ 16s and 12s tournaments being played November 29-December 2 at four different indoor facilities will have the PlayReplay system available for challenges in all singles and doubles matches.
PlayReplay’s ELC system utilizes a minimally intrusive camera solution that provides an unprecedented level of accuracy and precision for ELC systems priced for recreational competition. Players competing in the select National Indoor Championships will have access to courtside touchscreens to immediately access ball-tracking data, “challenge” a line call and receive a visual representation of where the ball landed and an in/out ruling within milliseconds. The entire challenge process, from start to finish, should take approximately 20 seconds.
The facilities hosting these events utilizing PlayReplay are the Baseline Tennis Center in Minneapolis (G16s); the Manchester Athletic Club in Manchester, Mass. (G12s); XS Tennis Village in Chicago (B16s); and the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, N.Y. (B12s).
PlayReplay is a tennis technology company that was tabbed in the spring for the inaugural investment of USTA Ventures, the USTA’s strategic investment initiative focused on acquiring potential equity stakes in technologies and other companies that will help advance the USTA’s mission.
The USTA has tested the PlayReplay system at lower-level junior tournaments throughout 2024, with a surveyed group of 64 players, parents, tournament staff and officials rating their ‘overall impression’ of the technology 9.4 out of 10, on average.