Chain ESPN Extra aired some days ago the first tennis match in which a retired player, the famous John McEnroe, has played against his virtual avatar. It is a digital version, powered by Artificial Intelligence, of McEnroe when he was active. The match was broadcast as part of a 45-minute documentary showing how the match was created, using a combination of AI and machine learning, coupled with five virtual avatars of the player at five notable stages of his career. .
According to Ricardo Marques, Vice President of Marketing for Michelob Ultra US and Globalthey chose the best moments of McEnroe’s career for it: «he is going to play with his avatar from 1979, when he entered the tennis circuit. Also with the 81, when he reached the highest point for the first time in his career. 1982 was not a very good year for John and he went through some difficulties. He then returned in 1984 with full powers until his retirement in 1992«.
The documentary, according to Techcrunch, has been created between the Michelob Ultra beer brand and the production and technology company Unit 9. A team from Unit 9 spent a day with John McEnroe, who is currently 63 years old, to generate his virtual avatar. fine-tuning the digital version from a full body scan of the tennis player and performing a motion capture session. The team also used the Unreal Engine MetaHuman technology with him, a cloud app that generates digital humans with photorealistic quality.
The avatar’s gameplay is projected onto a hologram particle screen, and will be a match simulation with a system of ball throwers and ball-returning robots. When McEnroe sends the ball over the net, the avatar will respond by pointing in the direction the real ball is going. As the avatar moves, a new ball is fired from the ball cannon through a smoke screen at a precise point in space, then spawned from the avatar’s racket position.
The Unit 9 team has analyzed hours upon hours of McEnroe’s match footage from throughout his career, recording hundreds of serves, strikes and moves. In total, they recorded 308 serves with 259 spins and combinations to capture his footwork, serve and volley skills well known in the tennis world. In addition, the team recorded several iconic phrases and statements from the tennis player, so that McEnroe was able to brag to himself, albeit with the virtual version of him, and even smash a pair of rackets.
Michelob Ultra also involved John’s younger brother, Patrick McEnroe, in the project, who acted as master of ceremonies for the match, as well as providing real-time information about John and his evolution as a person over the years. Sports commentators Ashley Brewer and former professional tennis player James Blake commented on the plays and gave fans a behind-the-scenes look at this unique match. And in addition to the virtual tennis match, in the documentary John spoke about his career and shared various anecdotes and lessons what he has learned over the years.
