Not so long ago, Emma Raducanu was on her phone when she found herself wondering what her comprehensive usage of ChatGPT said about her own character. \u201cI use Chat a lot,\u201d Raducanu says, laughing. \u201cEvery small thing I do it and I got this idea. So, you know how Spotify do a Spotify Wrapped? I asked ChatGPT to make me a Chat Wrapped, and it was giving me a rundown on my personality.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was like: \u2018It\u2019s a little bit too accurate.\u2019 It was very clear, very concise. No nonsense, straight into the question. I thought: \u2018OK, I can relate maybe. Some of that is true.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
The emergence of generative AI has led to a shift in society and changed the way many people seek information. Like everyone, this generation of tennis players must figure out where these tools fit<\/a> into their lives. There are some who believe AI can provide them with an advantage on the court.<\/p>\n Jessica Pegula, whose husband sometimes makes AI-generated reports of her opponents solely for his own amusement, learned recently that someone on the tour, whom she declines to name, is drawing on ChatGPT and similar tools to scout the playing styles of future opponents. \u201cI don\u2019t know if they fully 100% listen to it, but I think maybe they cross-reference to see how accurate it is,\u201d she says. \u201cIt\u2019s not bad. It just summarises everything and you can make it maybe very simplified or make it complicated.\u201d<\/p>\n Bianca Andreescu, the 2019 US Open champion<\/a>, explains how she recently found herself on ChatGPT before a match with a completely unfamiliar opponent after dropping down to compete on the lower-level ITF circuit. \u201cThere weren\u2019t many videos on her,\u201d she says. \u201cSo I was curious. Because Chat will scout other sources, right? And I was like: \u2018Please be specific. Please do your research.\u2019 And I think it worked out well.\u201d<\/p>\n AI has quietly aided several of the top players for some time. Most recently, the ATP has developed a platform called Tennis<\/a> IQ that processes a massive amount of in-match data to define a player\u2019s performance rating and shot quality. However, in a sport where athletes invest significant sums into employing coaches, many find the concept of directly seeking out generative AI platforms questionable at best.<\/p>\n Zizou Bergs, the top-ranked Belgian male, immediately shakes his head in disgust. \u201cI heard of someone [scouting with ChatGPT], and he showed me the result of it,\u201d he says. \u201cIt was two or three years ago and I thought it was completely trash.\u201d<\/p>\n Bianca Andreescu used ChatGPT to scout an unfamiliar opponent recently. Photograph: Chris Young\/The Canadian Press\/AP<\/p>\n Daniil Medvedev has found himself on ChatGPT with friends and his team members as they jokingly try to solve the most pressing question in men\u2019s tennis: how to beat Jannik Sinner<\/a> and Carlos Alcaraz. He describes AI as a true armchair coach: \u201c[It] says some things [about Sinner and Alcaraz] and I\u2019m: \u2018OK great, how do I do it?\u2019 Like: \u2018OK, I see what you mean and it\u2019s not bad things, but how do I go on court and do it?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n A bored Coco Gauff once asked an AI platform about the best strategy for playing herself. \u201cIt didn\u2019t say anything I didn\u2019t already know,\u201d she says. Then she comically rolls her eyes. \u201cNewsflash: everybody plays me the same way \u2013 hit to my forehand and hope I double-fault.\u201d<\/p>\n Many of these conversations about the use of AI in tennis shift quickly to a discussion on the use of AI in life outside the court. For Raducanu, there is no common theme to the types of questions with which she peppers ChatGPT: \u201cIt\u2019s as random as my brain. One minute it\u2019s history. One minute it\u2019s art. One minute it\u2019s some random fact. One minute it\u2019s translations. So different questions.\u201d<\/p>\n Players in general, however, are a far more cautious group. For now, Frances Tiafoe wants nothing to do with GenAI. \u201cI don\u2019t have ChatGPT. I don\u2019t have the other one. I haven\u2019t used much AI-generated stuff. I\u2019m going against the grain. I\u2019m still Google searching,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n