Dubai: World number one Serena Williams’ career is being prolonged by performance analysis, according to an official at German multinational software corporation Systems, Applications and Products in Data Processing (SAP).

SAP signed a three-year partnership with the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) last year to supply coaches, media and fans with live-match analysis.

Using Hawk-Eye, a computer system used in sports such as tennis and cricket to track the ball trajectory, and heat-mapping technology, they can now graphically illustrate and even predict patterns of play for players and their opponents.

The analysis, which also records ball spin and speed, will even be available on a mobile phone application before the end of the year.

But, besides just the ability to alert a coach of his or her player’s strengths and weaknesses for more tailored training, Jenni Lewis, global senior solution architect of SAP, said it would also delay retirement.

At 32 years old, 17-time Grand Slam winner Serena is the oldest women’s World No.1 ever, and Lewis said technology is one of the key factors behind her extended reign.

“Serena’s game is completely based upon strength, which she’s not always going to be able to rely on,” Lewis told Gulf News on the sidelines of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships at Dubai Tennis Stadium on Wednesday. “Therefore, she needs to shorten her points and know when to pull out her weapons.

“Serena needs to do things smarter and wants to spend less time hitting balls and more time understanding what she needs to be doing at certain points within the game. She needs to know when to attack to get the best conversion rate and what combination to use when doing so.”

All of the world’s top ten female tennis players are currently using the tool, and it’s now SAP’s mission to make their products more readily available for all. Future developments include using SAP to reduce injury using data from the number of balls hit and a sensor in the racquet to better gauge technique.

“From data gathered on the total number of balls hit and total time spent on court, we’re looking to enable the athlete to perform at their best without worsening or causing further injury,” she said. “We are also looking into how they hit the ball — and from where they hit it on the racquet — to help coaches redefine their technique.”

Lewis added that if older players embraced performance analysis and focused on efficiency over speed and strength, female tennis would no longer be perceived as a young woman’s game.

“The sport has changed so much that I doubt we’ll ever see a 16-year-old World No.1 ever again because of technology,” she added. “It used to all be about hard work and hours spent on court, but now players rely as readily on technology.”