World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka shared her perspective on the future role of artificial intelligence (AI) in professional tennis coaching.
The Belarusian athlete was asked whether AI could potentially replace human coaches in the near future.
“Perhaps [AI] would be useful when it comes to collecting and analyzing statistics. But a computer will never be able to replace a human. It`s simply not the same,” Sabalenka stated during a press conference ahead of the `Battle of the Sexes` exhibition event in Dubai.
Sabalenka`s remarks highlight a consensus among many top athletes: while technology is invaluable for deep analysis and data crunching, the essential elements of motivation, psychological support, and personalized human interaction remain critical components of effective high-level coaching.
Jasper Carew 
Marcus Prine