PlayReplay Raises $12M for Local Tennis Court Line-Calling Tech

Stockholm-based tennis tracking startup PlayReplay has raised $12 million as it expands electronic line-calling, now a fixture at elite events, to lower-level play.

PlayReplay has been used in 350,000 sessions, covering matches ranging from 12-year-olds’ tournaments to college and professional events. Four small cameras attached to the net track the ball in real time, offering live calls or the ability for players to challenge. PlayReplay generally sees competitors challenging fewer than five balls combined over a competitive match. 

“It also has an effect on all the calls that are not being made,” PlayReplay CEO Hans Lundstam said, “because if you have this system on the court, people just behave better.”

The raise, led by Alfvén & Didrikson, values PlayReplay at more than $50 million. Other investors include Centre Court Capital, ExM Investment Partners, Charbe Partners, Crimson Sports Capital and a LionTree-managed fund. USTA Ventures invested in PlayReplay in 2024.

Electronic line-calling is now used across men’s and women’s pro tour events above the 250 level, with Roland Garros the lone fully human-judged holdout among the sport’s four Grand Slams. Last week, the USTA announced that its 67 men’s and women’s hard-court tourneys on the USTA Pro Circuit will feature ELC for the first time using PlayReplay. 

At lower levels, ball-tracking video technology can also be used for training sessions and performance analysis. While connected on-court cameras could one day monitor for abusive behavior or other misdeeds from anyone on court, PlayReplay already works to lower the temperature and frequency of disagreements. 

“The [digital] accuracy that it’s up against is your opponent’s eyesight, and it’s obviously considerably better than that,” USTA senior director of digital and business strategy Michael Hughes said. “The biggest point of feedback that we’ve gotten, particularly from parents of junior players, is now my kid can just calm down and play.”

In rec competitions, participants also can turn to the cameras to assess a shot rather than making a close call in the first place. In other situations, the tracking helps players remember the score of a game. The decorum that once existed around fairly calling balls now governs how often players ask to review a call. Hughes said the tech helps the USTA with its mission to attract and retain players, with the goal of reaching 35 million players by 2035.

“In a recent junior finals match, a critical call everyone in the lobby thought was in was challenged and overturned on PlayReplay,” said Stephan Woods, who runs Apex Racket and Fitness in Portland, Maine. “The players simply moved on and kept competing. It’s taken the heat out of controversial calls and kept the focus where it belongs: on the game.”

PlayReplay charges facilities $3,500-4,500 per court per year for the technology; the company pitches that managers are then able to increase the price for reservations and tournament entrances. With the new funding, PlayReplay intends to expand its geographic footprint while also developing support for other racquet sports, such as pickleball. The U.S. is already its biggest market, Lundstam said.

Companies including Sony have continued advancing the speed and accuracy of top-level computer-based officiating aids. At the same time, cheaper versions of the tech seem destined to track smaller sporting events worldwide.

“This type of technology broadly,” Hughes said, “I would love to see it used on every tennis court in America.”