Wimbledon and IBM Rally Behind AI to Power Smarter Fan Experiences in 2025

The All England Lawn Tennis Club has unveiled new AI-driven features ahead of Wimbledon 2025. The latest technology focuses on enhancing fan experience by bringing smarter insights to one of the world’s most historic sporting events.

At the heart of this year’s rollout is “Match Chat”, an AI-powered assistant integrated into the official Wimbledon app and website. Available to fans both on-site and online, the tool allows users to ask natural-language questions about ongoing matches, ranging from “Who’s winning more baseline points?” to “What’s the key stat difference today?”, receiving instant, data-driven responses tailored to the match context.

The feature builds on IBM’s Watsonx platform, combining natural language processing with real-time statistics to offer fans a personalised layer of analysis previously reserved for broadcasters and analysts. The aim is to make tennis more accessible, particularly for younger and more casual viewers who increasingly consume sport in digital-first formats.

Also returning for 2025 is the tournament’s “Likelihood to Win” metric, an AI-powered win probability engine that updates in real-time based on player performance, match conditions and historical trends. Now running on IBM’s hybrid cloud architecture with Red Hat OpenShift, the system offers improved accuracy and faster delivery, giving fans a deeper insight into match momentum as it unfolds.

These innovations come alongside the AELTC’s broader digital transformation of Wimbledon’s operations. Following successful trials in 2024, this year’s tournament is moving entirely to electronic line-calling across all courts, with no human line judges for the first time in its 147-year history. The switch, powered by Hawk-Eye Live, ensures consistent officiating across matches and streamlines the broadcast production process further.

Wimbledon’s latest digital push reflects the AELTC’s broader ambition to future-proof the Championships for a new generation of fans. As traditional viewing habits shift, the tournament’s leadership is focused on blending history with innovation, delivering AI insights, real-time feedback and intelligent interaction across platforms.