Sportradar has partnered with Tennis Data Innovations (TDI) and the ATP Tour to launch a new initiative aimed at safeguarding tennis players.
The new service, named Safe Sport, will use artificial intelligence (AI) for moderation, education, and investigation to tackle online abuse directed at professional athletes.
Starting this month, the service will be offered to the top 250 ATP singles players and the top 50 ranked doubles players at no cost, with participation based on voluntary opt-in.
Sportradar will utilise its AI technology in combination with the capabilities of its partner, Arwen AI, to scan players’ social media channels for abuse and spam across a total of 29 languages.
Furthermore, tennis players will be offered educational material that covers topics like handling abuse and mitigating online risks on social media platforms.
Andreas Krannich, Executive Vice President of Sportradar Integrity Services, said: “This partnership is groundbreaking in sport as we’re bringing together AI-driven auto-moderation, education and investigative services for the first time.
“The Safe Sport solution offers players better protection from online harm, representing a significant leap forward in safeguarding mental and physical wellbeing, enabling them to concentrate on delivering their best performances.”
TDI and Sportradar initiated their partnership in early 2024, with Sportradar receiving data streaming rights for all ATP Tour and ATP Challenger Tour events.
On the latest Safe Sport initiative, Andrew Azzopardi, ATP Director of Safeguarding, stated: “The ATP is committed to safeguarding players and their wellbeing. This includes taking a proactive stance against online abuse, which has become a very important issue in the lives of modern athletes.
“This collaboration will ensure that tennis is playing its part in tackling this issue, and shining a light on the effects that harmful online discourse can have on our communities.
“We’re grateful for the support of TDI and the expertise of Sportradar in making this happen.”
Matthew Ebden, ATP Player and Player Advisory Council President, added: “Online abuse has become a real issue for so many professional athletes, as it also has for so many others online in general all around the world. Safe Sport is a game changer and has been developed specifically to help fix this problem.”
