Tennis Technology Tuesday
When watching the Western and Southern Open and the US Open over the past three weeks, I could not help but to notice the blue ice chests that were placed adjacent to the player seating area on each court. It took a little internet sleuthing, but I am reasonably certain that the device in question is an IcyBreeze portable air conditioner.
It was unusually cool at the US Open this year, and to the best of my knowledge no player ever bothered to adjust the nozzle to direct the air on themselves. However, since I play a lot under blazing hot conditions here in Texas, I am intrigued by the concept. I figure that the US Open would not have these devices on each and every court if they didn’t work.
As essentially a wheeled ice chest, this would be a reasonable thing for a player to drag onto a court for a league or a tournament match. Additionally, since the unit is powered by a lithium ion battery, it doesn’t require an external power source for operation. I find nothing in the rule book that prohibits a player from bringing their own air conditioning unit on court.
I also think this could be useful if social distancing practices continue into another summer season. For example, one of the current common tournament safety provisions requires players to remain in their cars until their match is called. It seems way more environmentally friendly to wait in the car with AC provided by the IcyBreeze rather than running the engine.
Is it too early to flag the IcyBreeze as a terrific Christmas gift for the obscure tennis blogger that has (almost) everything? I think not.
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Sure looks like it!!!
How cool is this?! Thank you for sharing:)
How cool is this…. I see what you did there!