AI / ML
When , before this year ’ s final , an AI tool predicted that Spanish 20-yearold Carlos Alcaraz would beat seven-time Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic to the Wimbledon title , the announcement was met with some scepticism .
The prediction drew wide ranging criticism , from users on social media to former tennis pros : including seven-time Grand Slam winner John McEnroe , who when commentating for the BBC said he was ‘ astonished ’ by the prediction .
But , with Alcaraz defeating Djokovic 1-6 , 7-6 ( 6 ), 6-1 , 3-6 , 6-4 to become the first player to beat the Serb on Centre Court since Andy Murray in 2013 , it was AI ’ s bold prediction that turned out to be the winner of the day .
The AI predictor tool is just one feature Wimbledon partner IBM brought to this year ’ s tournament , aimed at further improving the fan experience at SW19 . Called IBM AI Draw Analysis , the tool used AI to define how favourable the path to the final might be for each player in the singles draw . A player ’ s draw favourability was indicated with a rating along a scale , based on factors including the player ’ s match-ups against potential future opponents and how the player ’ s position in the draw compares to competitors .
To learn about this and the other AI tools Wimbledon introduced at this year ’ s tournament , Technology Magazine was invited to tour IBM ’ s technology bunker at the All
130 September 2023