Speak and play: I'mprove Tennis keeps score for you

Business context

In 2015, the client – a visionary from the sports market – identified an opportunity to simplify tennis through new technologies. In amateur matches and training sessions, keeping score can be cumbersome, distracting, and prone to mistakes, especially when players are focused on rallies rather than recording the score.

Leaware proposed using speech recognition and analytical algorithms to automate the scoring process. The goal was to support tennis players without taking their attention away from the game and to simplify the organisation of sparring sessions and matches without an umpire.

This led to the creation of I'mprove Tennis – an application that uses voice commands and an intelligent algorithm to track the progress of a match, minimising human error and providing a convenient, touch-free experience on the court.

Challenge

The key challenge was reliable real-time speech recognition in the noisy court environment. The application had to filter out background noise effectively, distinguish commands from game-related sounds, and correctly interpret different accents and dialects.

It was equally important to accurately reflect the rules of tennis scoring and continuously track the match state. The solution had to operate quickly and reliably, without introducing delays or requiring interactions that would distract players from the game.

Solution

Leaware built I'mprove Tennis using artificial intelligence algorithms and speech recognition technology. The system identifies player commands and distinguishes them from sounds typical of the court, using advanced noise reduction and audio classification methods.

At the core of the solution is a scoring algorithm that updates the score in real time in line with the rules of tennis. Interaction is fully voice-based, so players do not need to interrupt the game or reach for a notebook or phone.

The application simplifies the management of amateur matches and training sessions, eliminating the need for a dedicated scorekeeper. Users benefit from greater convenience, fewer mistakes, and improved focus on the game.