Martina Navratilova-Backed Virtual Reality Platform May Be A Game-Changer For Cognitive Training In Tennis

Reputed as the greatest serve-and-volleyer in Women’s tennis history, Martina Navratilova attacked the net with a lethal combination of speed, aggressiveness, and dexterity that may never be replicated.

Leading 1-0 in the third set of the 1991 U.S. Open semifinals, Navratilova, then 34, lunged to return a low backhand from Steffi Graf that skidded over the net. Anticipating a cross-court forehand from Graf, Navratilova quickly moved to her right and responded with a piercing backhand stab. Undeterred, the top-ranked Graf then sent an inside-out forehand crosscourt, only to see Navratilova repel it with a stretch volley for the winner. Navratilova outlasted Graf in three tight sets, a victory that is still viewed as one of the most impressive ever by a female over 30.

The exquisite court coverage might explain why Washington Post columnist Sally Jenkins once marveled that when Martina volleyed at the net, she looked as if God was “pulling the strings.” But even an 18-time Grand Slam singles’ winner needs an extra tool at their disposal to differentiate themselves from the competition. Navratilova won her fourth U.S. Open singles’ title in 1987, decades before the advent of immersive virtual reality cognitive training in sports.

Last month, ahead of the U.S. Open, Navratilova signed a partnership with Sense Arena, a Prague-based company focused on developing ground-breaking virtual reality training in sports. Hours before Serena Williams’ final professional match of her storied career, Navratilova promoted the innovative VR product inside a suite at Arthur Ashe Stadium last Friday.

“If they had the headset, I would have been using it,” Navratilova exclaimed. “Yeah, why not? You don’t have to go anywhere; you can do it in the comfort of your living room and still work on specific shots.”

Financial terms of Navratilova’s deal have not been disclosed.

Sense Arena has achieved a modicum of success with a hockey training platform that is being utilized by 30 professional teams worldwide, including five in the NHL. At least 10 NHL goaltenders have used the training system, most notably Philipp Grubauer, a 2021 Vezina Trophy finalist, awarded each year to the league’s top goalie. In training with Sense Arena, goalies can improve their box control by tracking the puck more quickly and becoming more effective at reading the release by opposing snipers. While donning a Meta Quest headset, goalies can also practice their ability to handle screens in various situations before encountering net traffic on a Nathan MacKinnon slapshot.

What started out as a training tool for goalies soon expanded to all skaters on the ice. A 3D-printed mount for the touch controller allows skaters to test their stickhandling in VR. A player can be coached on the proper technique to use when making a cross-ice pass or how to hold the stick on a contentious face-off.

The mounts contain motors which create a vibration known as “haptic feedback,” each time the virtual stick makes contact with the puck. The engineers at Sense Arena have worked arduously to apply the same concept in tennis. When there’s impact between the VR racket and the ball, the racket will vibrate based on the type and pace of the shot. A whipsaw forehand produced by Rafael Nadal’s extreme western grip may feel different in VR than a flat forehand down the line. A low slice on grass tends to skid, while a topspin shot on clay can kick up to shoulder height. The product development team strives to create as realistic an experience to mirror match conditions.

Still, there are critical differences between the products. Whereas the hockey product Whereas the hockey product helps players to make read and react decisions in a team sport environment, the one in tennis will serve as an aid for honing the mental aspects of the game. Comprehensive mental training through Sense Arena can help players visualize the game better, while improving decision-making skills, proponents say. A litany of ball-striking and cognitive training drills also helps players anticipate the depth and the spin of shot, while cutting down on reaction time.

Ahead of October’s tennis launch, those who sign up for the platform in advance will receive a free haptic racket – valued at approximately $200. The fee will be waived for those who pre-order the racket until the end of September. A single-user Sense Arena license goes for $39 a month or as low as $300 as an annual subscription. By comparison, a complete package for the hockey goalie kit is around $900, plus $99 for a monthly subscription.

Approximately 90 pro and junior players, including a Top 60 European female singles’ player, tested the demo over the course of the tournament. The player, who was eliminated from the doubles’ draw earlier in the afternoon, went perfect in a VR groundstroke drill, connecting on nearly two dozen consecutive shots in the session.

The drill tests accuracy, with a virtual court broken into quadrants separated by four distinct colors. As a virtual opponent fires a shot over the net, she received instructions to hit a deep crosscourt forehand into a yellow box guarding the baseline. On a given rally, a player may develop peripheral vision by connecting on a backhand down the line into a purple box, followed by a forehand crosscourt into a white one.

The player, who has already defeated U.S. Open semifinalist Caroline Garcia in her young career, felt like she anticipated quickly on the volleying drills in VR – partly because she finished her doubles match only two hours earlier. She also liked the feel of the racket which contains a 4 3/8 inch grip and weighs about 270 grams, which can be increased if needed. Following her session, she indicated that she is open to potentially adding the VR training to part of her regimen.

Sense Arena also provides drills that go beyond the virtual tennis court. One cognitive drill called Syncro Reflex tests the player reaction-time by identifying the correct square at a rapid work rate. After every drill, the player also receives instant feedback on his or her performance with specific relatable data collected. In the reflex test, specifically, Sense Arena provides the average reaction time and the accuracy of the player in hitting the correct squares, said Yannick Yoshizawa, who serves as business develop director at Sense Arena.

Another virtual drill helps players hone a punching technique at the net. The optimal volleying technique contains a quick punch with no backswing, as the player steps forward to absorb the power from the opposing shot. In order to conjure the proper image, envision Mike Tyson strapping on a pair of VR goggles while testing out his net skills. Tyson has also attended the U.S. Open in recent years since his daughter is a burgeoning junior player.

Sense Arena, Navratilova emphasized, is a valuable training tool for rapid-eye movement, anticipation, and building quick reflexes.

“The ball is coming at you a 100 miles per hour, you better be ready,” she said. “It’s not the real deal, but it’s as close as you can get. All things being equal, of course you want to be on the court, but this is the best substitute.”

The anticipation drills help users determine where the ball land, how it will bounce, and to ultimately make quicker decisions on their next shot. Quite often, that 200 hundredths millisecond difference can be the difference in winning a point, Sense Arena CEO Bob Tetiva indicated.

In total, the pro and junior players at the U.S. completed close to 1,000 drills with Sense Arena over the past two weeks. The list of participants who demoed the product includes: Jack Sock, Luisa Stefani, Anna Bondar, Jennifer Brady, Rohan Bopanna, Petr Pala, the teams of Casper Ruud, Brandon Nakashima, Matteo Berrettini. Sock, who has been ranked as high as eighth in the world in singles, also gave high marks to the hockey product.

Though Sense Arena can be instructive for the pros, Navratilova believes it could have a larger impact on the grassroots level for burgeoning teens. Claudio Pistolesi, senior director of tennis at the Junior Tennis Champions Center (JTCC) in Jacksonville, has joined Navratilova on Sense Arena’s tennis advisory board. Armed with a background in coaching science based on sports psychology, Pistolesi implores his pupils to play with self-confidence.

“Confidence is like gasoline, sometimes it is what you need to get the Ferrari,” said Pistolesi, a former Italian player who counts a victory over Mats Wilander among his top career accomplishments. Pistolesi has also coached Monica Seles, Robin Soderling, and Daniela Hantuchova, among others, in his 25-year coaching career.

Pistolesi was drawn to Sense Arena after observing the use cases in hockey. For a top junior, the player can use the VR training as a vehicle for regaining confidence after a tough defeat. The platform also helps players maintain “controlled aggressiveness,” with their coverage on the court. Aggressiveness can be habitually misconstrued as hitting harder, Pistolesi explained. It is more important, he noted, to learn how to work the point, not rush, and pick the most opportune times to move forward.

Another top junior who demoed the product is a student at JTCC in College Park, Maryland, the former training grounds of Frances Tiafoe. Pistolesi envisions upwards of 200 JTCC students training with the VR headsets shortly after the launch of the product later next month. After Tiafoe’s breakthrough win over Rafael Nadal on Monday, ESPN anchor Chris McKendry described how a young Tiafoe used to spend hours on the grounds in solitude, hitting a ball off a wall for practice. Perhaps Tiafoe would have been an ideal candidate for the Sense Arena product if it had been available 15 years ago.

Navratilova has been on the grounds of the U.S. Open throughout the fortnight. Above all else, the Czech tennis legend has been impressed by Serena’s longevity. While Navratilova captured the Wimbledon mixed doubles title in 2003 at 46, she also reached the women’s singles final at the All England Lawn Tennis Club nine years earlier. Serena won five majors after her 33rd birthday, including her 23rd grand slam singles title in 2017 when she set an open era record.

Willilams’ eponymous venture capital firm, Serena Ventures has yet to invest in any tennis-focused tech startups. But Williams now has some extra time on her hands after last week’s dramatic run in Flushing.

Asked if she would ascend to No. 1 in the world if she played against Serena and Steffi Graf while all three hit the prime of their careers, Martina responded with a hearty laugh.

“I would pay to watch those matches and I think it would be close,” she told me.

Maybe, it could come to life in VR, a guest of the suite joked.