Bethanie Mattek-Sands to wear Google Glass at Wimbledon starting next week

Image Credit: Google

For the first time ever, a professional athlete will be wearing Google Glass while competing in a high-profile tournament. Tennis player Bethanie Mattek-Sands, who is world no. 58 in the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) rankings, will be wearing Google Glass at Wimbledon, one of the four prestigious Grand Slam events beginning this week in London, Google confirmed yesterday. Google further revealed that Mattek-Sands is in the Glass explorer program, a limited sampling of a few hundred people who will be tested in a pre-release format.

Google has said that Glass is comfortable and non-obstructive, weighing no more than a pair of sunglasses. And a professional athlete wearing Glass during her competition where her world ranking is at stake, in a tournament of such high magnitude and prize money, is a significant confirmation of that statement.

Google in a statement said: “Glass’s potential in the sports realm is huge, and it can connect athletes, coaches, and fans in new ways. For Bethanie, it’s allowed her to capture her strokes from her point of view during practice and share those with her coaches. It also helps her search recipes and perfect her cooking, something that’s important to a professional athlete with dietary allergies and restrictions. Bethanie’s fans can also see the world through her eyes as she embarks upon the road to Wimbledon, where she’ll play her first match next week.

“This also shows a novel use of Google Glass: the capability to provide a platform for coaches to see the game from their athlete’s perspectives and suggest improvements and alternatives.”

Glass, many experts believe, has the capability to provide a platform for coaches to see the game from their athlete’s perspectives and suggest improvements and alternatives in their game.