In June 1981, John McEnroe’s infamous “You cannot be serious!“ outburst at Wimbledon spotlighted a persistent challenge in tennis: even the keenest umpire eyes struggle with the sport’s fast-paced, split-second line calls.

While football, rugby, and track and field have undergone full technological revolutions enabling officials to review on-field activity, tennis has yet to see a major rollout of such measures — until now.

Recognizing the potential of technology in tennis, Zenniz developed an end-to-end smart tennis court system. It serves two core purposes: automated electronic line calling for immediate, accurate on-court decisions, and AI-driven performance analysis delivering insights and match highlights to players and coaches.

Following a successful application launch, Zenniz contacted AAEON seeking an embedded system capable of streamlining and scaling their operations — finding their answer in the BOXER-8658AI.

The first generation relied on a custom x86 motherboard and a Power over Ethernet (PoE) switch to connect cameras — requiring over 150 components to operate.

As adoption grew, Zenniz recognized that a fully embedded platform was essential to simplify deployment, reduce component count, and maintain consistent performance across courts worldwide.

To connect Axis cameras directly, reducing components and simplifying deployment and maintenance.

Sufficient compute power for advanced computer vision algorithms without overheating — critical for outdoor courts in all climates.

Ability to transmit data to Zenniz's cloud platform and display electronic line calling decisions on LED panels on the court.

Zenniz proactively approached AAEON specifically for the BOXER-8658AI — a fanless embedded AI system from AAEON's BOXER Edge AI solutions range. As AAEON's team delved into the project, the system proved to be the ideal choice across every requirement.

Directly supports multiple Axis cameras for continuous court monitoring without an external PoE switch.

Two RJ-45 ports enable wired data transmission to the Zenniz cloud platform, streamlining setup.

NVIDIA Jetson Orin NX module delivers up to 100 TOPS, executing Zenniz's proprietary computer vision algorithms with native Jetpack support.

Fanless design with broad 9V–36V power input makes the hardware location-agnostic across extreme climates and varying electrical infrastructure.

The BOXER-8658AI acts as the central hub of Zenniz's smart tennis court system. Multiple Axis cameras positioned around the court feed video data via PoE ports into the unit, where Zenniz's computer vision algorithms — executed on the integrated GPU — analyze every moment of play.

Electronic line calling decisions are displayed instantly on two 500mm × 500mm full-HD LED panels via HDMI, preserving the natural flow of the game. Simultaneously, performance analytics are uploaded to Zenniz's cloud platform through the rear LAN port, centralizing all court operations for consistent, scalable performance.

Original custom motherboard setup required over 150 components per court.

BOXER-8658AI reduces total components to just 20, dramatically simplifying deployment.

Smart tennis courts now implemented from Brazil to Bulgaria, the USA to the UAE.

From beginners in clinics to competitors in tournaments, Zenniz can now bring an all-in-one, data-driven smart tennis court to anyone, anywhere.