ITF Press Release, May 2, 2024
The Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge and Microsoft have renewed their partnership for 2024-26, with Microsoft confirmed as the competition’s Global Technology and Innovation Partner for that time.
Microsoft first partnered with the Billie Jean King Cup in September 2020, shortly after the International Tennis Federation (ITF) announced that the competition, formerly known as the Fed Cup, would be renamed in honour of Billie Jean King. King is the most-successful individual in the history of the competition, having won seven titles as a player (including one as player-captain) and three further titles as captain.
Since the partnership was announced, teams at the Billie Jean King Cup Finals have had access to a wealth of data to help inform decisions during matches. The data is made available through a dashboard that uses the Azure cloud platform to process and analyse key elements of the game like player movement, as well as ball, shot, and scoring data. Teams can review real-time match insights on the Microsoft Surface tablets on the court-side benches, the off-court team zones, the locker rooms and the team hotels, allowing flexibility for pre-match and post-match evaluation.
The next stage of the partnership will focus on developing the tech solution, further enhancing the data analysis functionality for players and coaches based on their feedback at previous Billie Jean King Cup Finals. Artificial intelligence will also be integrated into the platform, giving users in-game synopses of the data, accompanied by AI-generated insights. Microsoft will also explore new ways to enable fans watching in the stadium and at home to access the data and analysis that teams are using.
David Haggerty, ITF President, said: “Microsoft has been an integral part of the success of the first three editions of the Billie Jean King Cup Finals, and we are pleased that our partnership will continue for the next three years. The feedback from players and captains has been extremely positive, and we look forward to further innovations from the Microsoft team over the next three years.”
Ilana Kloss, Chair of Billie Jean King Cup Ltd, said: “Microsoft was one of the first partners to join the event when it was rebranded as the Billie Jean King Cup in 2020 and we are delighted to renew our successful partnership for another three years. As the world’s most popular women’s annual team event with 138 nations entered in 2024, our focus is on providing our global community of women’s tennis players, fans and advocates with a unique and innovative experience. Microsoft is a world leader in tech solutions and a company that shares our values and goals for the growth and promotion of women’s sport.”
Monica Robbins, Director of Sports Partnerships at Microsoft, said: “We are excited to continue working with the Billie Jean King Cup to empower athletes and coaches through access to the data and AI generated insights that can drive their decision-making. In the spirit of the competition and the legacy of the Billie Jean King Cup we look forward to continuing to innovate and help teams find their competitive edge.”
