Tennis participation in the United States is reaching unprecedented heights. According to the United States Tennis Association (USTA), a record 27.3 million people played tennis in 2025—a 54% increase since 2019. This surge in players has birthed a multi-billion dollar opportunity: the race to become the “Strava of tennis” by providing amateur athletes with professional-grade data, AI coaching, and social sharing capabilities.
1. The Market Leaders: SwingVision and Beyond
Currently, the market is dominated by SwingVision, an app founded by AI experts from Apple and Tesla. With approximately 500,000 users and 25,000 paying subscribers (at $180/year), the app uses smartphone cameras to provide:
- Real-time Shot Stats: Speed, placement, and heatmaps.
- AI Video Trimming: Cutting a two-hour match into 20 minutes of active play.
- Electronic Line Calling: Allowing amateurs to challenge calls via Apple Watch.
The company was recently valued at over $35 million, with investors including Andy Roddick and James Blake. Other significant competitors include Zenniz, Baseline Vision, and PlaySight, all vying for a slice of the amateur performance-tracking market.
2. The Agassi-IBM Partnership
The sector received a major boost in late 2025 when eight-time Grand Slam champion Andre Agassi announced a multi-year partnership with IBM. Their upcoming platform uses AI to deliver professional coaching directly to phones, featuring an AI coach voiced by Darren Cahill (coach of world No. 1 Jannik Sinner). The app aims to make racket sports—including pickleball and padel—more inclusive and dynamic through automated swing analysis and motivational challenges.
3. AI Coaching: A Threat to Human Tutors?
While some fear that AI patterns and automated feedback might replace human coaches, industry veterans like Rennae Stubbs and Øivind Sørvald (coach of Casper Ruud) see technology as a complement. Sørvald uses SportAI to analyze biomechanics and power generation, providing objective data that helps convince professional and amateur players alike of necessary technical adjustments. AI is viewed as a tool to save time and enhance the student-coach relationship rather than replace the emotional support a human provides.
4. The Social and Viral Frontier
For the modern amateur, the game doesn’t end on the court. Platforms like SwingVision allow users to export highlights directly to TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts. This “Strava effect”—where a match only feels “real” once the data is shared—is driving engagement among the 193,000 regular visitors of the r/10s Reddit community. As live streaming becomes the next frontier, the line between amateur and professional presentation continues to blur.