IBM and Agassi Launch AI Platform for Racquet Sports

IBM has announced a multi-year partnership with Agassi Sports Entertainment (ASE) - the company founded by tennis legend Andre Agassi - to develop a new AI-powered digital platform that will support player development and grow participation across global racquet sports. The platform, which is expected to launch in 2026, will use IBM’s watsonx artificial intelligence and cloud technologies to provide users with personalised coaching feedback, performance analytics and community engagement tools.

The platform will allow players at all levels to upload video clips of their game for automated technical analysis, enabling accessible coaching support without requiring specialist equipment. IBM says its AI models will be trained using both professional and amateur performance datasets, with the goal of offering insights that are relevant to a wide range of skill levels across tennis, pickleball, padel and other racquet sports. ASE will guide sport-specific development and oversee integration with coaching and competition environments.

The collaboration reflects increasing commercial interest in racquet sports, which have seen significant growth in participation globally, particularly in the case of padel and pickleball. Both companies have positioned the project as a response to that growth, arguing that digital platforms can help address coaching demand, player retention and engagement. The platform will also host editorial content, virtual training sessions and social community functions intended to extend fan and player interaction beyond the court.

The announcement signals a strategic expansion of IBM’s sports technology activity, which has historically focused on data and broadcast solutions for major tournaments such as the US Open and Wimbledon. In this instance, IBM is moving beyond event-based technology delivery to a long-term digital consumer product, marking one of its most direct entries into community-level sport.