AI Transforms Australian Open Coverage with Wii-Style Animations

AI is helping the Australian Open cover tennis in the funniest way possible, by turning it into Nintendo Wii Tennis

The Australian Open, one of the world's biggest tennis competitions, is taking place in Melbourne right now, and the tournament's use of AI is absolutely hilarious. Due to not having full broadcast rights for all of the matches taking place during the tournament, the Aussie Open instead has chosen to use generative AI to live stream matches with Nintendo Wii-style tennis animations on a 2-minute delay. The genius idea allows tennis fans from around the world to watch tennis for free via YouTube, although it doesn't quite have the charm of the real thing. Where Wii Tennis-style recreations of live sport do thrive, however, is when things go wrong on the court and AI doesn't quite know how to handle what it sees. During Daniel Medvedev's first-round match, the Russian destroyed his racket by hitting it against the ground and net, AI recreated the action and the results are hilarious. This isn't the first time we've seen sporting events transformed into animation, the NFL frequently uses animation to try and encourage more kids to take up the sport. Characters from The Simpsons and SpongeBob SquarePants take over commentary to create an entertaining broadcast suitable for children. The Australian Open's variation, dubbed AO Animated, works by using sensors on the courts to then digitally reproduce the live action. There's even live commentary and crowd noise so you feel like you're experiencing the live game, just in animation. While the technology debuted last year, viewing figures suggest this year's variation is far more popular with tennis audiences around the globe. Tennis is known for being a trendsetter with technology in sport, opting for the groundbreaking Hawk-Eye technology as far back as 2006. Could this new iteration of live streaming that allows users to consume colorful, yet realistic, reproductions of live events become the norm in sports? Could we see highlights of the 2026 World Cup of Soccer converted into AI? Considering the viral possibilities of clips like Medvedev destroying his racket, and the convenience of watching live matches on YouTube with a 2-minute delay free of any broadcast rights, I fully expect more AI-generated sports in the future.

Why the Australian Open is using Wii-like animations of top tennis players

MELBOURNE, Australia -- Tennis Australia has transformed the world's best tennis players into animated versions of themselves in an ingenious effort to bypass broadcasting restrictions at this year's Australian Open. Throughout the tournament, the Australian Open YouTube account has been streaming several matches in full, with the players displayed as Nintendo Wii-like cartoon avatars mimicking their every move. Their rackets, the court and balls are also displayed as animated versions. The project, labeled AO Animated, works by having sensors on the actual courts at Melbourne Park feeding data into a system that then produces digital reproductions of the live match, with only a two-minute delay. These versions of the matches are even synced to feature live commentary, crowd noise and chair umpire calls, as well as subtle -- and not so subtle -- player quirks and reactions. By displaying the matches in this video game-like format, it means there is no breach of strict broadcasting rights. Tennis Australia is free to share them on its own social media channels, despite having sold lucrative exclusive broadcast rights to various partners around the world (including ESPN). The AI technology debuted at the Australian Open 12 months ago, though the technology was far less life-like than the 2025 version. According to The Guardian, matches are receiving four times more viewers this year than last. The first-round match between Daniil Medvedev and Kasidit Samrej, during which Medvedev notoriously smashed his racket on the net, has more than 109,000 views as of Wednesday evening. The technology is not dissimilar to what was used when Disney+ broadcast this season's NFL game between the Dallas Cowboys and Cincinnati Bengals as "The Simpsons" on "Monday Night Football."