Exclusive: A first look inside Andre Agassi and IBM’s AI racquet sports platform
The platform lets users ask Darren Cahill questions about their game, while combining coaching, swing analysis, and community in one hub.
“Hey Darren, I’m just curious, everyone seems to think Andre Agassi has a high tennis IQ. Do you call bullshit on that?” Andre Agassi asks a laptop in an early cut of a promo video for his new AI-powered platform with IBM. Darren Cahill’s voice responds, as if he’s right there on a Zoom call, saying, “Andre was one of the smartest guys I’ve coached. He traded on his deep match preparation and technical questions more than just raw feel. He wasn’t just talented—the way his mind worked, breaking down opponents and adjusting on court was something else, so, no, it’s not bullshit.” Agassi laughs in response and adds, “I happen to agree with that, I know him.”
The playful exchange is merely a teaser for the multifaceted, AI-powered platform that Agassi’s media company, Agassi Sports Entertainment (ASE), and IBM have been working on since June 2025, when the tech company kicked off months of market research to determine whether it wanted to take on a consumer-facing racquet sports platform. “You want to be sure you can make a good product, otherwise why do it?” said Rodney Rapson, chief digital officer at Agassi Sports Entertainment. Ultimately, IBM—which is the official technology partner of Wimbledon and the US Open—was convinced, officially announcing the partnership in November of last year.
The as-yet-unnamed platform, which will live under the witty banner of Agassi Intelligence, includes a website and app that will be available internationally. The website will launch sometime this spring with a staggered roll-out of e-commerce (tennis racquets, paddles, sports nutrition, etc.), a personalized racquet/paddle recommender, and the AI coaching model Agassi was talking to in the clip, which allows users to either “call” Cahill or ask him questions via chat. The app launch is slated for the fall and will include the same coaching feature, as well as swing analysis feedback, motivational challenges, progress tracking, and social sharing. While it will initially focus on tennis, the plan is to expand all features to pickleball and padel soon after, positioning the platform as a single hub for racquet sports.
The team’s central goal—spearheaded by Agassi, his wife and former world No. 1 Steffi Graf, and ASE CEO Ronald Boreta—is to help people be more active, get outside, and engage with others through sport, Rapson said. “The technology exists to support that engagement, with features designed to motivate real world action rather than replace it.”
Sign up for a paid subscription to learn exactly how Darren Cahill’s AI coaching model works (including a video clip), which additional legendary perspectives are already in development, and how the team plans to differentiate itself from existing racquet sports apps.
