On Monday, March 28, 15 students had a ball at the field trip to the Miami Open. The field trip was an all-expense paid trip sponsored by the company SAP. Students got to experience both the technological and physical sides of the Miami Open. Students were able to work on their tennis skills and learn more about the programs that make up the new coaching and fan experience.

“The field trip really allowed us to observe a whole different side of the Miami Open and we were granted once in a lifetime opportunities. It allowed us to learn a lot about the technological side of tennis as well as how it has progressed and is being introduced and used in tennis,” junior and tennis team member Juliette Bouchet said.

Throughout the field trip, students got to experience the different things that bring the Miami Open together. The students started their trip with a lesson by tennis legend Mary Joe Fernandez. Fernandez won her first match in the Miami Open at age 14, and to this day is the youngest woman to win a match at the Open.

The students then got to experience the VIP experience as they went to a private lounge in the grand stadium. While there, they learned all about SAP. SAP works with the Miami Open by forming a way for fans to access the matches at all times. They are also working with coaches to be able to analyze players’ games. This is done with the advanced technology Hawk Eye. Hawk Eye is a series of cameras that are placed all around the court that are linked to computers. These cameras allow coaches and officials to see every aspect of the game. Students got to go into the Hawk Eye tent and watch the officials work their magic. One of the highlights of the trip was meeting professional tennis player Tomas Berdych. The students were able to interview Berdych and learned about the hard work he went through to achieve success.

“It was a huge learning experience to me as tennis was not really a sport I ever took seriously. However, on both the game and technological side, it was very intriguing to learn that tennis is a much more complex world. On the technology side, everybody tries their best to make accurate calls so that the game is fair and they use a combination of cameras and software to do so. On the game side, I learned techniques that I didn’t even know existed and I also learned the difficulty behind the sport and that not anybody can be a tennis professional,” junior Osmani Alegre said.

Students left that day with a new understanding of all the different aspects of the work needed for the Miami Open. These lucky Cavaliers will hopefully use this information to push them forward and help them succeed in the future.