Due to a knee issue, Juan Martin Del Potro has revealed that he will likely retire after playing the Argentina Open in Buenos Aires next week. The Argentine was handed a wildcard into the main draws of both the Buenos Aires and Rio Opens later this month. However, it's conceivable that the 33-year-old will retire in front of his home audience next week.

In a press conference on Saturday 'The Tower of Tandil' stated "This is one of the hardest messages I've ever had to face up to and communicate. Everyone knows and hopes that I return to tennis. Possibly it won't be like that and that it will be more of a farewell than a return."

In June 2019, at Queens in London, the former World No. 3 played his last tournament match. He hurt his knee and has been working hard to restore his full health since then. "The knee has been a nightmare. I've been trying alternatives and ways to resolve it for years and today I just can't manage it. I never imagined retiring from tennis anywhere other than out there on the court," The Argentine added further.

Read also: Del Potro set to return to ATP Tour for the first time since June 2019

Del Potro, one of the game's most ferocious hitters, has battled injuries after conquering the US Open in 2009. He won his maiden and only Grand Slam championship in the 2009 US Open, where he was seeded sixth. He upset Rafael Nadal in the semi-finals and Roger Federer in the final. The Argentine interrupted The Swiss Maestro's five-year dynasty in New York by defeating him in a five-set final. In 2018, he made it to the final of the US Open but lost to Novak Djokovic. Del Potro has 22 tour-level championships to his name, the latest of which was the 2018 BNP Paribas Open. Nicknamed as the 'Tower of Tandil' after his city, he obtained a career-high ATP Ranking of World No. 3 in 2018.

Read also: ATP Rankings: Top 10 Ranked Tennis Players in the world

However, Del Potro has committed to competing in both the Buenos Aires Open and the Rio de Janeiro Open this month. He will play Federico Delbonis, a fellow countryman, in his first round in Buenos Aires on Tuesday. The Rio de Janeiro Open and Buenos Aires open is all set to begin from February 12 and March 1 respectively.

Artificial Intelligence has been improving the sports we watch and analyze for nearly the past 20 years, but the latest generation of ultra-modern AI tools is revolutionizing every aspect of sports, from improving player and team performances to ensuring safety along with fan engagement and the experiences.

AI can process and store large amounts of data, which allows us to gain insights that we couldn't see before. This capability is at the center of the revolution. For the players, this brings improved strategies, varied training methods, and a significantly lower risk of injury.

The fans enjoy a whole new level of engagement in the game, thanks to Al-powered platforms providing content tailored to them, such as virtual reality experiences and more.

The massive impact of AI in the Sports Industry

Artificial Intelligence is revolutionizing the Sports Industry rapidly by offering solutions to common problems such as individual performance, tactical requirements, injuries and recoveries, variations in training, etc.

The capacity of AI and GenAI tools to analyze complex data and provide instant insights is ushering in a new era of athletic performance and fan engagement as well.

From predictive analytics that improve player safety and performance to AI-powered viewing experiences for fans, the influence of artificial intelligence is setting the bar higher across the industry.

1. Player and team performance

GenAI can analyze team and player behavior to reach conclusions that would contribute to improved training and coaching. For example, they can monitor and analyze the movements of players with computer vision.

In this way, they can assess whether an athlete is moving wrongly or could be injured. Machine learning algorithms can watch game videos to identify patterns of the opposing team. Sports coaches can be made to develop wiser game plans and strategies by artificial intelligence.

Some techniques, including motion tracking and motion analysis, can capture changes in the posture, movement, or technique of a player that indicte fatigue or poor motor control.

According to a study by Grand View Research, the sports analytics market size was valued at $1.9 billion in 2020 and is expected to reach $5.2 billion by 2028, showcasing the rapid growth and demand for advanced analytics tools in sports.

The following two tools are widely applicable to player and team analysis:

• SportVU: This system tracks detailed player and ball motion in a game with computer vision and machine learning. It can analyze shot mechanics, accelerations and decelerations, speed, and distance.
• KINEXON: This system tracks positional and motion data in real-time by equipping players with sensors.

2. Injury Prediction and Prevention

Injuries occur regularly in professional sports. Identifying and preventing injuries before they even occur is likely one of the most thrilling applications of AI.

Teams can utilize AI algorithms to monitor an individual's motion as they move their joints and strain their muscles. It can search for patterns or instabilities that signify an injury before the symptoms themselves appear.

AI can recognize a slight deviation in the amount of strain a soccer player puts on their knee joint and warn the coaches or medical staff. Way before the injury became acute enough to cause the player to miss games, the team could either give them rest or do exercises to help them recover.

A report by MarketsandMarkets estimates that the global sports medicine market, which incorporates AI-driven health monitoring solutions, is projected to reach $9.3 billion by 2026, underlining the significant role of AI in athlete well-being.

The following two tools could be used in the AI-powered prediction and prevention of injuries:

• Sparta Science: It uses computer vision and motion sensing in analyzing movement patterns of an athlete. Based on motion data, biomechanical deficiencies, and especially risks of increased injury, machine learning models are able to identify those. 
• Zone 7: It measures injury risk using factors such as workload, degree of fatigue, and others through artificial intelligence and research in sports science. Their methods take age, position, body composition, and medical history into account. 

3. Training Through AI-Powered Analytics and Wearables

Smartwatches and fitness trackers are examples of wearable technology that have become essential for tracking many of the parameters mentioned earlier.

Wearable GPS devices that can track athletes' speed and location, overall distance traveled, and movement patterns are available to provide relevant information.

Wearable heart rate monitors use optical sensors to measure blood flow in real-time, tracking the heart rate. This is an important aspect of monitoring heart health, fitness levels, and recovery. It also helps in tracking blood oxygen levels, which is another important component of modern-day fitness trackers. They use optical sensors to track the oxygen saturation level of blood.

Since the 2010s, Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs), such as GPS tracking vests, have been commonly used in professional sports. Such vests are offered with discrete and effective GPS tracking and sensors located on the back and shoulders; they are typically worn as tank tops.

In football and rugby, the vest is mainly utilized to track the location and movement of a player and, thereby, report strengths and weaknesses.

4. Sports Commentary and Reporting

Sports commentary and reporting can automatically be generated from match events and live data by employing natural language processing (NLP) methods like GPT-3. Artificially intelligent commentary not only comments on a strategy but also summarizes the critical events of match play. 

Similarly, GenAI can create such highlights, summaries, and post-match data reportage for viewing audiences as well.

NLP methods can make the commentary more dramatic and interesting by taking into account the game statistics and situations in real-time data. With the use of generated personalities and tones, it is possible to accommodate various fan interests in the coverage.

Automated GenAI reporting enhances sports coverage and commentary without losing interesting and captivating stories.

5. Sports Officiating

The use of AI in sports officiating is not without controversy, including traditional backlash and concerns regarding technology's influence on the game. Yet, the improvements it introduces, such as real-time analysis and decision support, are dramatically enhancing the accuracy and fairness of officiating.

Its capabilities to review plays from multiple angles and analyze them in seconds are proving invaluable in high-level games where every call matters.

Despite initial doubts, the use of AI in officiating is increasingly being accepted, with many seeing its potential to eliminate human error and ensure a level playing field.

As the technology improves and its uses extend, its role in assisting fair play and accuracy in sports is poised to increase, ushering in a new era in the use of technology and sportsmanship.

6. Player Scouting

Team owners are using artificial intelligence to review the performance of the players. To determine the most skilled people to invest in, they use data analysis using artificial intelligence. It takes millions of dollars to find talent in the sports world.

So, team owners would like to ensure that scouting one player is the best decision. Artificial intelligence is used widely in scouting players for any sport, be it cricket, football, or basketball.

AI-powered Change in Fan Engagement and Experiences

1. Personalized Fan Engagement

To provide customised fan experiences, GenAI algorithms can model the preferences and behaviours of audiences. Sports teams and broadcasters can use these insights to optimize engagement across media channels.

For example, social media platforms can deliver tailored video highlights, personalized promotions, and AI-recommended content to resonate with each fan.

The NBA revealed 'NB-AI', allowing fans to activate "movie mode" and watch live games animated like popular films, such as Spider-Man

pic.twitter.com/zb2IYT2YBX

— Dexerto (@Dexerto) February 16, 2024

Based on their past interactions and activities, the Generative AI identifies what content types, sports stats, and topics each fan finds most appealing. It creates and sends personalized content for each person. This level of customization, enabled by GenAI in sports, helps sports organizations connect more deeply with their audiences.

2. Viewing Experiences

GenAI can process live video to generate augmented reality (AR) overlays and graphics that enhance broadcasts or live streams.

For example, shot trajectories, real-time player stats, and situational analysis can be visualized and overlaid onto the gameplay footage. For virtual reality (VR), GenAI can create real-world simulated environments for an immersive in-game perspective.

The key innovation is using Generative AI to dynamically generate and adapt AR/VR overlays and environments on the fly, customized to each moment. As the narrative and action of the game shift, the GenAI-powered augmented experiences shift with them, elevating viewing to multidimensional engagement. 

A survey conducted by PwC found that 65% of sports fans are interested in using AR or virtual reality (VR) devices to watch sports, indicating a growing appetite for immersive experiences enabled by AI-driven technologies.

Conclusion

AI collaboration with sports is making the place safer as well as fairer. Predictive modeling and algorithms in AI are becoming a must for injury prevention. AI guarantees that more accuracy and fairness can be introduced in the outcome of a game by enhancing officiating. Both the aspects of performance and integrity are vital components in ensuring the prosperity and popularity of sports continue.

The impact of AI reaches sports journalism, advertising, and the creation of next-gen sports equipment, beyond the field or court. These innovations create new revenue streams and provide more exciting ways for fans to engage with their beloved sports and teams.

In this sense, artificial intelligence in the sports field could be said to be, by itself, a change not only for the athletes or for the coaches but for the sports system in general. With AI, the sports of the future could easily be foreseen because technology would harmoniously mix with manly athleticism at its highest levels.

Hello and welcome to Sportz Point's LIVE Coverage of the Paris Olympics 2024. Today, we will bring you all the updates of Day 3 (29th July). Nineteen medals are due to be handed out on Day 3 of Paris 2024.

This is Abishek Goswami, Koushik Biswas will join us later to give you all the updates on Day 2 from our web desk.

Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for all the Updates. You can join our Telegram Channel as well. 

Read Also: India at Paris Olympics 2024 Day 3 (July 29) LIVE Updates

The Paris Olympics 2024 men’s tennis draw is on the table and Two-time Olympic gold medalist Rafael Nadal will meet Hungary’s Marton Fuscovics, in Round 1. Nadal enters the tournament unseeded and is set to play his last Olympic games. There is a high possibility that he could play world No. 2, Novak Djokovic in the second round.

Read Also: Paris Olympics 2024 Men's Singles Seed announced

Novak Djokovic is likely making his last Olympic Games appearance and will be searching for his first gold medal. Djokovic won singles bronze at Beijing 2008 but a gold medal is the one prize he doesn't have won in his historic career. 

The Serbian, seeded No. 1, is set to face Australia’s Matthew Ebden. Ebden received a last-minute entry into the Games after Holger Rune announced his withdrawal from the men’s singles event on Wednesday due to his wrist injury.

Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz, seeded No. 2, will begin his debut Olympic campaign against Lebanon’s Hady Habib. 20-year-old Alcaraz enters the tournament as the world ranked No. 3 and is the most in-form player in the world right now. He recently won both the 2024 French Open and Wimbledon titles. 

Reigning Olympic men’s champion Alexander Zverev will face Spain’s Jaume Munar in the first round. Zverev won gold in Tokyo after thrashing Khachanov in the final. He is also in form but has failed to clinch a single title this year after reaching three finals.

World No 1 Jannik Sinner was set to be the top seed in the men’s singles draw, and in the men’s doubles draw alongside fellow Italian Lorenzo Musetti. But he pulled out due to illness. He is going to be a huge miss. Denmark’s Holger Rune and Poland's Hubert Hurkacz will also miss the Men's Singles. Two-time gold medalist Andy Murray pulled out from Singles before the seeding and said that he would only compete in the men’s doubles event. 

Read Also: Paris Olympics 2024 Opening Day -1 (25th July) LIVE Updates - Dhiraj Bommadevara stars for India with 681 points as India qualifies for quarter-finals in team and mixed events

Men's Singles Tennis draw for Paris Olympics 2024

World No 1 Jannik Sinner was set to be the top seed in the men’s singles draw, and in the men’s doubles draw alongside fellow Italian Lorenzo Musetti. In Sinner's absence, Novak Djokovic is set to be the top seed in Men's singles at the Paris Olympics 2024. The brackets will feature 64 players, resulting in 16 seeded players. To win the gold, one must win six matches. The top 16 pre-seeded players won't face each other in the first two rounds. The players from the same country also cannot face each other in the first two rounds.

Read Also: Last 10 Wimbledon Champions List (Men's)

Paris Olympics 2024 Men's Singles Seed

Novak Djokovic is likely making his last Olympic Games appearance and will be searching for his first gold medal. Djokovic won singles bronze at Beijing 2008 but a gold medal is the one prize he doesn't have won in his historic career.

The favourite for the gold is world No 3 and third seed, Carlos Alcaraz. Alcaraz is making his Olympic Games debut and coming after winning the French Open and Wimbledon, making him the most in-form player on tour.

Alexander Zverev is also a contender for the gold. World No. 5 Daniil Medvedev will compete as an authorized neutral athlete and is projected to be the fifth seed.

Men’s singles seeds (as of 22 July 2024)

1. 1) Jannik Sinner, Italy
2. Novak Djokovic, Serbia
3. Carlos Alcaraz, Spain
4. Alexander Zverev, Germany
5. Daniil Medvedev, Authorised Neutral Athlete
6. Alex de Minaur, Australia
7. Casper Ruud, Norway
8. Taylor Fritz, United States
9. Stefanos Tsitsipas, Greece
10. Tommy Paul, United States
11. Ugo Humbert, France
12. Holger Rune, Denmark
13. Lorenzo Musetti, Italy
14. Sebastian Baez, Argentina
15. Felix Auger-Aliassime, Canada
16. Arthur Fils, France

The next Olympic Games are an important goal for the world’s top tennis players with many ATP stars expressing their desire to play at Paris Olympics 2024, where the competition will take place on the iconic courts of Roland Garros. 

Also Read: Paris Olympics 2024: Indian athletes who qualified for the Paris 2024

Megastars such as Novak Djokovic, Iga Swiatek, and Carlos Alcaraz can qualify for the Paris Olympics 2024. But will we see another Olympic effort from legends such as Rafael Nadal? What is certain is that Paris 2024 will be the seventh time that the Olympic tennis tournament has been played on clay, the first since Barcelona 1992. The ranking is essential, so all players urge to shine in the circuit tournaments in the coming weeks.

The Olympic qualification system has been released, without significant modifications from Tokyo 2020. Let's find out how tennis players can secure their spots at the upcoming Olympic Games.

Tennis at Paris Olympics 2024: Qualification Explained

How many tennis players per country can go to the Olympic Games?

According to the rules in this Olympic stratum, countries can have a maximum of 12 tennis players, which will necessarily be six men and six women. It is worth mentioning that there will be five events in action, men's and women's singles, men's and women's doubles, and mixed. In that sense, the condition is that in singles there can only be a limit of four representatives, the best positioned in ATP, for each nation.

What is the qualification system for Paris Olympics 2024?

The men's and women's tennis categories will have the performance of 64 people, who will qualify in different ways. The main path is the world ranking, which provides 56 places, although those located in that top will not necessarily travel to the event in France: declines, injuries, and the overall number of six ATP and WTA athletes per homeland are considered. The cut-off date for this segmentation will be June 10, when the Roland Garros edition ends, the second Grand Slam of the season.

Likewise, another four places will be awarded through the ITF process, which takes into account the champions or finalists of the events held in America, Asia and Africa, they require being within the Top 400 and their nation must not exceed the limit. The Argentine Facundo Diaz Acosta, the Chilean Marcelo Tomas Barrios Vera (1st and 2nd in the Pan American Games) and the Chinese Zhang Zhizhen(1st in the Asian Games) are permanent. During this month of March, in Ghana, the African Games will start and a new competitor will be declared.

Finally, the two missing quotas will be distributed among those who have won Olympic gold or a major trophy. Under this scenario, Rafael Nadal would aim to receive an invitation to fight to ascend the throne. The estimated date for full registration is June 8, while reassignment due to withdrawals will take place days later.

Also Read: Rushed from success to success in 2023, 29-year-old Doreen Vennekamp shares insights on her Paris dreams

How to qualify in doubles and mixed doubles?

The doubles competition will have 32 teams and each confederation will have a maximum of two sides. Players in the Top 10 in doubles will reach a direct quota if they have a compatriot in the top 300 (whether in singles or pairs). Obviously, the figure of 12 athletes per country cannot be exceeded. Then, the overall rank of the couples will be examined and, ultimately, the players already confirmed in the singles competition will be considered.

On the other hand, in the mixed doubles, 16 squads will be formed and there will only be one representation per nation. Duos will be formed between the tennis players previously classified in the remaining categories. Precisely, the combined ranking will be the restriction mode for the tournament.

What game system is there in tennis at the Olympic Games?

Tennis at Paris Olympics 2024 will take place in three sets, so the first to win two sets will advance to the round. The organization determined that the center court of the Philippe-Chatrier (Roland Garros) will host the duels, brick dust returns after 32 years (last time in Barcelona 1992). It is worth remembering that the general opening in search of the gold medal will be on July 27 and will last until August 4.