If you are passionate about tennis And you saw the debut game of Jannik Sinner to International of Italy 2025perhaps you will have noticed a small ledge under the black jersey of the South Tennist South Tennist, placed just below the neck. No, it was not a therapeutic patch or postural support: it was a GPS sensor. A technology often used in sports such as football or cycling, but still quite rare in tennis. Yet Sinner, currently the number one in the world, has chosen to adopt it not only in training but also during the match won against the Argentine Mariano Navone. What is the use of, will you wonder, wear a GPS in a tennis match? And what kind of data can you provide a professional already so prepared? The answer is as simple as fascinating: Complete monitoring of physical performance in real time. Cardiac frequency, kilometers paths, intensity of effort and position on the field are just some of the variables that this device is able to detect. In a context in which every detail can make a difference, even a single data can turn into a potential competitive advantage.
Sinner and his staff, led by the athletic trainer Marco Panichiare pushing the maniacal cure for the body and performance at unpublished levels for tennis. After three months away from the fields due to a disqualification to be positive for the clostebol, the technology has become the means to verify that the “engine” had returned to turn to the maximum. Here then why that small device on the back is not a technological habit, but a precision tool for the construction of a “perfect” athlete.
What is Sinner’s GPS with integrated heart rate monitor for
The GPS with integrated heart rate monitor that Sinner used is a device already known among professional sportsmen, in particular among resistance sports practitioners such as running and cycling. Allows monitor in real time fundamental physiological parameters: heart rate, distance traveled, average speed, variations in rhythm and, thanks to location, also the location in space. Unlike wrist smartwatch, the models used by athletes are worn in a tight band located in the upper part of the back. This positioning allows a more accurate detection of body movements and, above all, does not hinder the technical gestures.
In tennis, however, the GPS is still an exception. Only recently the professional federations – ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) for men e WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) for women – authorized the use of these tools even during official matches. That’s why Sinner’s choice is interesting: it shows us how to change the approach to physical preparation in the “top tennis”. It is no longer just about hitting the ball better of the opponent, but of building an athletic machine capable of supporting intense and prolonged efforts, with maximum efficiency.
The introduction of GPS in official matches It is particularly significant for a player like Sinner, who bases his style of play on a constant pressing from the Fondo Campo. Staying close to the bottom line is crucial to command the game and shorten the reaction times. The sensor allows you to track exactly where the tennis player moves, what remains in a certain area of the field And how many times he is forced to chase angular balls oa take forward towards the network. Precious information for the coach and the athletic trainer, who can compare the data collected with those preceding the disqualification and evaluate any changes in the resistance, explosiveness or recovery times.
It is useful to know that in the three months of forced stop, caused by a disqualification for doping (then returned), Sinner was able to devote himself to a type of physical preparation that is normally not possible during a regular season. As he explained Marco Panichihis staff took advantage of the break to program a training cycle similar to that of athletics athletics, working on enhancement muscle, resistence And coordination. A rare opportunity: generally a tennis player has only three or four weeks a year for such a job.
Those who saw him in Rome noticed an evident physical evolution: more mass in the arms, legs and in the lower back. But the visible form is not enough: the confirmation is also needed that, under effort, the body responds as expected. So here is the meaning of the GPS: verify, measure, compare. As he points out Daniele Andreinicardiologist expert in sports medicine, it is essential to know the reaction of the cardiovascular system in times of maximum stress. Andreini, interviewed by Corriere della Serain fact he said:
The device uses it in particular those who run and cycling to monitor heart rate during the effort, the oscillations, the peak that can be reached with a view to improving performance knowing the anaerobic threshold within which you have to train to reach certain performance.
When you shoot to collect a short ball or chase a very angled passerby. These are the most extreme efforts, difficult to simulate in training, because they require an emotional and reactive component that only the real match can activate.
The present and the future of elite tennis
Through the GPS, therefore, the Sinner team can analyze how the heart rate varies in the various moments of the game, if the athlete manages to maintain an optimal aerobic threshold, or if he enters an anaerobic area, the one in which the body begins to produce lactic acid and the effort increases exponentially. Understanding these data also means prevent cramps, drops of concentration And Reduce recovery times Between one point and another.
The use of technological devices in tennis is not sporty science fiction: it is The present and the future of elite tennis. The technology, applied in a scientific and intelligent way, becomes a strategic tool to fill the small gaps that separate a great player from an absolute champion. As an old sports adage says, «The power is nothing without control». Now that Sinner seems to have reached full technical maturity, the control also passes through the digital eye of a GPS sensor attached on the back.
