At this year’s US Open, artificial intelligence has been part of the tennis championship’s coverage. Jannik Sinner’s recent opponent Alexander Bublik said the world’s No. 1 men’s singles player is “…like an AI-generated player.”
Thanks to AI innovations from IBM and the US Tennis Association (USTA), fans will have new ways to enjoy today’s men’s singles final between Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz compared to previous championships.
Features that act like digital concierges
IBM and the USTA rolled out new AI features in the US Open’s official app and website that give tennis fans more ways to follow matches and explore the event. The following updates released at the start of the tennis championship are designed to make the tournament more interactive and accessible.
- Match Chat lets fans ask about match progress or statistics and get quick responses, rather than searching through scoreboards.
- Ask The Open answers on-site questions about logistics and amenities.
- Live Likelihood to Win predictions updates during play with shifting probabilities.
- Key Points condenses long articles into quick summaries, helping fans catch up on the essentials in less time. The summaries are generated with IBM’s watsonx platform.
From data to 3D replay
The USTA also tested a 3D system that recreates points with digital avatars and an AI commentator, designed to give fans another way to view rallies. According to Reuters, the commentary tool kept descriptions cautious and avoided speculation. Matches featuring Jannik Sinner and Daniil Medvedev generated more than 5 million fan interactions during its early use.
AI in sports beyond the Open
The US Open rollout is part of a broader trend of sports organizations experimenting with artificial intelligence to deepen fan engagement.
ESPN has tested an AI avatar called “FACTS” that delivers analytics-driven insights during broadcasts, showing how broadcasters are blending human storytelling with machine-generated data.
During March Madness, AI-powered betting analytics even shaped the tournament conversation, with one high-stakes bettor wagering $1 million on an AI-generated bracket.
And in San Francisco, Robot Fight Club has merged virtual reality, robotics, and AI into a hybrid competition that reimagines what live entertainment can look like.
These efforts show how AI is moving from isolated experiments into mainstream sports culture, influencing not only broadcasts but also live-event experiences.