The Rise of Smart Courts: And How They Will Redefine Sports
The court is now the computer...a deep dive into the infrastructure shift happening across global sports.
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Inside the Smart Court Revolution
For decades, the only “digital tech” on a sports court was a scoreboard (and maybe a camera).
Today, the surface itself is turning into a data engine/computer.
Smart courts are one of the fastest-moving trends in sports (and are going to reshape many verticals of the industry).
Here is what you need to know 👇
What is a Smart Court?
A smart court is any playing surface upgraded with sensors, cameras, software, or tracking systems that:
Generate video content
Provide coaching insights
Capture performance data
Automate refereeing and scoring
Create new ways to monetize participation
The easiest way to put it…
Smart Courts DIGITIZE a physical sport.
History of Smart Courts
Smart courts feel new, but after digging deeper, it’s pretty clear that the idea has been developing for almost two decades.
What started with tennis is now spreading to pickleball, padel, basketball, volleyball, and even multi-purpose gyms.
I’d say there have been three clear waves:
1. Broadcast Era (~2000 to 2015)
The earliest version of a smart court started with professional tennis.
Hawkeye introduced multi-camera systems that could triangulate a ball's flight and determine whether it was in or out.
Hawkeye did two critical things:
It proved that technology could outperform humans in officiating
It conditioned fans and players to accept digital decision-making
At this stage, smart courts were expensive, heavy, and limited to pro environments.
2. Club & Academy Era (~2015 to 2020)
This is when cameras became cheaper, and cloud computing became accessible.
Companies like Playsight began installing multi-camera systems in tennis academies, padel clubs, and basketball gyms.
For the first time, clubs could offer:
Basic analytics
Instant replay and coaching tools
Automated video from fixed installations
This was the moment smart courts became a product rather than a novelty (expanding beyond just the pros to amateurs).
3. Computer Vision Era (2020 to Today)
The real breakthrough came when computer vision models could understand movement in real time without sensors or chips.
This unlocked:
Player development analytics
Automated highlight creation
Real-time shot and player tracking
Automated line calling for amateurs
Scalable installations across thousands of courts
Companies like SportsVisio and others began building consumer-ready versions that cost a fraction of the early systems.
This wave turned smart courts from “nice technology” into the future operating system of sports.
I’ll touch on where this space is going next at the end…
Why is All This Happening Now?
Three major forces are colliding…
In what I call “the 3 C’s” of smart courts: