MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) 鈥� Maybe attending sports events in person is too been-there, done-that in the modern age. So, apparently, is watching the actual action on a TV, laptop or phone. is getting in on the newest trend in the sports world by re-creating tennis matches in video-game form.
The year's , which runs through Jan. 26, is streaming real-time animated feeds on that mimic what's happening in the three main stadiums.
Players are represented by characters that look like something out of a Wii game 鈥� not exactly perfect portrayals of or , perhaps, but the graphics do try to show the correct outfit colors or hats and bandanas the athletes are wearing and reflect what is happening in the matches, with about a one-point delay.
鈥淪ometimes I think it鈥檚 a very accurate (depiction) of the actual player that鈥檚 playing. So it鈥檚 weird. It鈥檚 funny and weird,鈥� said , who will face Gauff in the third round Friday. 鈥淚 did not see myself just yet. Maybe I will. Now I鈥檓 curious, because I鈥檝e seen different players ... and I think I want to watch myself, too.鈥�
Tennis Australia created its own 鈥渟kins鈥� to represent players, chair umpires and ball persons.
鈥淭he wonderful part of it is it鈥檚 the players鈥� actual movement. It鈥檚 the actual trajectory of the ball,鈥� Machar Reid, Tennis Australia鈥檚 director of innovation, told The Associated Press. 鈥淲e鈥檙e taking the real into the unreal. That鈥檚 part of the magic.鈥�
Carlos Alcaraz, , called it 鈥渁 good alternative.鈥�
Like many players preparing for future opponents, Fernandez often scours YouTube to try to find footage of past matches to aid with scouting. That, Fernandez said with a chuckle, is how she accidentally discovered the cartoonish replays from Melbourne Park that have been creating a buzz among the competitors.
She was having trouble finding a certain match when she noticed a thumbnail photo of two players, Fernandez said.
鈥淪o I click on it and think, 鈥橳his is it! Finally! I have one,'鈥� Fernandez said. "Nope. It鈥檚 a Wii character, which is hilarious.鈥�
Jiri Lehecka, a Czech player seeded 24th in Australia, was checking social media the other day when he came across a 鈥渞eplay鈥� of 2021 U.S. Open champion Daniil Medvedev's avatar destroying a net camera by smacking it repeatedly with his racket during a first-round victory.
鈥淚 had no idea that something like that exists, so for me, it was quite funny to see that,鈥� Lehecka said. 鈥淢aybe I will see myself as a game character one day. We will see.鈥�
To get the chance, he'll need to play a match in Rod Laver Arena, Margaret Court Arena or John Cain Arena. Tennis Australia first experimented with this on one court during last year's tournament, hoping to attract gamers and a younger audience to the sport.
The , and NHL also have tried this type of approach, using animation for alternate game telecasts.
The 2024 debut in Melbourne 鈥渨as kind of in stealth and didn鈥檛 necessarily capture the world鈥檚 imagination. But this year, we鈥檝e seen that happening,鈥� Reid said.
The streams in the first four days of the event this week drew more than 950,000 views, according to Tennis Australia; the figure for the same time period in 2024 was about 140,000.
鈥淚t鈥檚 part of our DNA to innovate and try to challenge the status quo or, in this instance, provide experiences to different groups of fans that are more personalized for them to consume,鈥� Reid said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e seeing younger kids or the gaming demographic gravitating to the sport maybe in this way. Clearly, it鈥檚 not for everyone.鈥�
Might this eventually became the No. 1 way fans 鈥渨atch鈥� sports?
鈥淣ot in my lifetime and not in yours, I don鈥檛 think. But who knows? The world of sport and entertainment is moving so, so quickly,鈥� Reid said. 鈥淏ut I think we鈥檙e always going to be drawn to the amazing athletes doing their thing in front of our very eyes.鈥�
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Howard Fendrich has been the AP鈥檚 tennis writer since 2002. Find his stories here: . More AP tennis:
Howard Fendrich, The Associated Press
