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. The Australian Open is getting in on the newest trend in the sports world by re-creating tennis matches in video-game form. (Full Coverage | More Tennis News)
The year's first Grand Slam tournament, which runs through Jan. 26, is streaming real-time animated feeds on its YouTube channel that mimic what's happening in the three main stadiums.
Players are represented by characters that look like something out of a Wii game 바카라 not exactly perfect portrayals of Coco Gauff or Novak Djokovic, 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.
바카라Sometimes I think it's a very accurate (depiction) of the actual player that's playing. So it's weird. It's funny and weird,바카라 said 2021 U.S. Open finalist Leylah Fernandez, who will face Gauff in the third round Friday. 바카라I did not see myself just yet. Maybe I will. Now I'm curious, because I've seen different players ... and I think I want to watch myself, too.바카라
Tennis Australia created its own 바카라skins바카라 to represent players, chair umpires and ball persons.
바카라The wonderful part of it is it's the players' actual movement. It's the actual trajectory of the ball,바카라 Machar Reid, Tennis Australia's director of innovation, told The Associated Press. 바카라We're taking the real into the unreal. That's part of the magic.바카라
Carlos Alcaraz, a four-time Grand Slam champion at age 21, called it 바카라a good alternative.바카라
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.
바카라So I click on it and think, 'This is it! Finally! I have one,'바카라 Fernandez said. "Nope. It's a Wii character, which is hilarious.바카라
Jiri Lehecka, a Czech player seeded 24th in Australia, was checking social media the other day when he came across a 바카라replay바카라 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.
바카라I had no idea that something like that exists, so for me, it was quite funny to see that,바카라 Lehecka said. 바카라Maybe I will see myself as a game character one day. We will see.바카라
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 NFL, NBA and NHL also have tried this type of approach, using animation for alternate game telecasts.
The 2024 debut in Melbourne 바카라was kind of in stealth and didn't necessarily capture the world's imagination. But this year, we've seen that happening,바카라 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.
바카라It's 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,바카라 Reid said. 바카라We're seeing younger kids or the gaming demographic gravitating to the sport maybe in this way. Clearly, it's not for everyone.바카라
Might this eventually became the No. 1 way fans 바카라watch바카라 sports?
바카라Not in my lifetime and not in yours, I don't think. But who knows? The world of sport and entertainment is moving so, so quickly,바카라 Reid said. 바카라But I think we're always going to be drawn to the amazing athletes doing their thing in front of our very eyes.바카라
