Key Takeaways:
– Fans see AI as a game-changer in sports, enabling faster, more dynamic, and highly personalized digital content experiences.
– Today’s sports engagement thrives on technology-driven innovations, from real-time updates to interactive features that deepen connection and drive participation.
– AI-powered content creation technology elevates this further, helping organizations deliver short-form, multi-format content instantly and keep fans engaged year-round.
Mixed doubles has a long history in tennis, but in the last 30 years, it has become an afterthought at Grand Slams. The 2025 US Open turned that on its head. A new format – sets played to four games with no ad-scoring – plus a $1 million prize for the winners, drew names like Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, Iga Świątek, and Emma Raducanu to the competition, which took place before the start of the main draw.
The “reimagined and elevated” mixed doubles competition continued the US Open's tradition of introducing innovations. It was the first Grand Slam to use a tiebreak, the first to offer equal prize money to men and women, the first to host night matches under lights, and the first to adopt the Hawk-Eye challenge system. And in recent years, as technology has evolved, the US Open has leveraged AI to introduce new capabilities that primarily benefit fans.
Relying on multiple technology partnerships, US Open provides AI-generated match reports, AI-driven insights for digital platforms, and AI commentary features for highlights. “The digital experience of the US Open is of enormous importance to our fans,” said Kirsten Corio, Chief Commercial Officer at the United States Tennis Association (USTA). “We need to meet the demands of modern tennis fans, but also surprise them with unexpected experiences.”
The New Playbook: AI-Enhanced Engagement
According to a recent global study, unexpected experiences are exactly what sports fans crave today. Drawing on the insights of more than 20,000 respondents across 12 countries, the study shows fans increasingly view technology — particularly AI — as a positive force in sports, especially when it comes to providing more dynamic digital content. Key findings include:
– 85% of fans find AI features valuable for sports engagement, and 63% express trust in AI-generated sports content.
– Fans identify real-time game/match updates (35%), personalized content (30%), and unique insights (27%) as their top priorities for AI-enhanced sports engagement.
– 80% believe AI features will have the greatest influence on how they follow sports in the next 2-3 years.
“Now, more than ever, fans are looking for new ways to experience and engage with their favorite sports, tournaments, teams, and athletes,” said Kameryn Stanhouse, Vice President, Sports and Entertainment Partnerships at IBM, that commissioned the report. “They are really eager for AI that gives them a more personalized experience with real-time and immersive digital touchpoints.”
Building Best-in-Class Tennis Experiences
The US Open delivers these touchpoints. More than 14 million tennis fans across the globe follow the tournament through the US Open's owned platforms, which harness AI tools to scale content production. In 2024, for instance, USTA editors used gen AI to increase the number of match reports they produced in the first round from 20 to 64, a productivity boost of more than 300%.
“AI has helped our editorial team to cover more matches and enhance our highlights coverage,” said Brian Ryerson, senior director of digital strategy at the USTA. “We [work] all year long to deliver a best-in-class digital experience, but we're also both looking at what innovations we can bring to our platforms.”
This year, the innovations will include the following AI-powered features in the 2025 US Open app and website:
-AI-generated Highlights: automatic creation of match highlights that provides the scale needed to meet fan's demand for personalization.
-Match Chat: an AI-powered chatbot that can answer tennis fans’ questions both during and after matches.
-Key Points: concise, AI-generated summaries of articles on the US Open platforms.
-Live Likelihood to Win: head-to-head match predictions generated from a comprehensive, AI-powered analysis of player statistics, expert opinion, and player momentum, updated after every point in the match.
AI’s Role in Always-On Sports Storytelling
Modern sports fans expect more than access. They want immediacy, personalization, and interactivity across every touchpoint. From real-time insights to highlights commentary, today’s experiences are shaped by technology that anticipates fans’ needs rather than reacts to them. AI enables rights holders to deliver dynamic moments at scale, turning major events like the US Open into always-on ecosystems that keep audiences engaged long after the final point.
AI-powered content creation technology takes this a step further by transforming every match, rally, and storyline into personalized short-form content instantly. Whether it’s snackable highlights, behind-the-scenes clips, or interactive polls, automation allows organizations to meet fans where they already are while driving deeper engagement on owned platforms. In many ways, the US Open’s latest digital innovations prove the point: the future of fandom belongs to those bold enough to reinvent it.
Actionable Insights
-Leverage AI to scale coverage efficiently: automate match reports, highlights, and insights to cover more events without increasing production costs.
-Design digital touchpoints that surprise fans: go beyond standard updates with personalized content, predictive stats, and interactive tools that deepen engagement across owned platforms.
-Use short-form formats: repurpose live-action moments into snackable clips, summaries, and interactive highlights to capture attention and fuel sustained fan interest.
