Australian Open's MatchFeel lets blind and low-vision fans feel each rally
World firstContext, not outcome: AAP reports MatchFeel as a world first, and Infosys's Andrew Groth said a visually impaired former player who tried it 'thought it was absolutely fantastic', with early feedback suggesting it could feature at more events. Infosys says it ran as a pilot for a select user group. No user count or satisfaction figure is published.
“One new world-first addition to the event is an AI-powered device called MatchFeel that looks like a tablet computer with a tennis court printed on it. […] At AO 2026, it will run as a pilot innovation for a select user group.”
- Who
- Tennis Australia, which runs the Australian Open, and Infosys, its technology partner for eight years, at AO 2026 in Melbourne (January 2026).
- Problem
- Following a rally depends on seeing where the ball goes. For blind and visually impaired fans, commentary alone leaves out much of the placement, speed and direction of each shot. Tennis Australia wanted the tournament to feel open to more people.
- Agent
- MatchFeel takes real-time ball and match data and converts the on-court action into tactile and haptic feedback on a physical court surface. A magnetic ring moves along the engraved court lines to trace the ball, and vibration patterns indicate speed and direction, so the fan feels the rally as it unfolds, with live commentary in sync. It is part of the AO 2026 innovations built on Infosys Topaz, Infosys's generative and agentic AI suite.
We'll build it for you
Book a callView the prompt
Try it yourself with Infosys MatchFeel (tactile + haptic device)
You are an accessibility advisor for our [club / tournament]. Goal: make a match day easier to follow for blind and visually impaired fans with what we already have. My input: [venue layout], [how we broadcast or stream matches], [the data we get: score, ball tracking or none], [budget]. Give me: 1) three practical options, from cheapest to most ambitious, such as audio-described points or a tactile court; 2) for each, the people and kit needed; 3) a 30-second sample description of one point. Flag what needs testing with visually impaired fans before launch, and do not promise what we cannot run.What we can do for your club or brand
Clubs and tournaments can open match days to fans who are usually left out, starting small with audio-described points or a tactile court, and test it with those fans first. The Court can turn that into a sourced public case and the content that shows members, partners and sponsors how the club makes tennis accessible, without inventing results that are not published.
Source:
AAP, Jan 2026; Infosys press release, Jan 2026, Jan 2026 · press
What they did
For AO 2026, Tennis Australia and Infosys added MatchFeel to a set of fan features built on Infosys Topaz. The device looks like a tablet with a tennis court on it. Using real-time ball and match data, a magnetic ring traces the ball along the engraved lines and vibration patterns signal speed and direction, synced with live commentary. It ran as a pilot for a select group of blind and visually impaired fans. The same release added Keys to the Match, three AI pre-match insights per player.
How it went
AAP (29 Jan 2026) reported MatchFeel as a world-first addition to the event. Infosys's Andrew Groth told AAP a visually impaired former player who used it in the first days 'thought it was absolutely fantastic' and that early feedback suggested it could feature at more events. Tennis Australia CEO Craig Tiley called technology 'an amplifier' that helps 'more people feel part of this great event'. Limits: a pilot for a select group; no published number of users, sessions or satisfaction score.