Chen Shachar interview: PlaySight co-founder on using technology to help drive padel's growth

PlaySight has been instrumental in assisting new and existing padel clubs integrate cutting-edge technology, enhancing the experience of players. After its second year as a gold sponsor of RacquetX and helping the sport expand to new regions, Chen Shachar discusses with Padel Business Magazine the importance of his firm’s partnerships with padel clubs, how the company continues to keep an innovative mindset, and democratising padel through its technology for continued growth.

When PlaySight was founded in 2014, it began with a simple concept: to provide technology capable of measuring progress and tracking improvement for every type of player, not just professionals with the most resources.

The company was focused on tennis after one of its co-founders was surprised to learn that little technology was available for his daughter and other amateur players to improve their games.

With a background specialising in developing advanced video and image processing solutions for military and security-based applications, Chen Shachar and his co-founders set out to help the everyday athlete gain an advantage in self-improvement previously enjoyed only by elite athletes.

Initially, PlaySight secured partnerships with tennis legends like Novak Djokovic, Billie Jean King and Pete Sampras. In 2016, it signed a partnership deal with the United States Tennis Association (USTA) to outfit its National Campus with PlaySight technology.

Fast-forward to today, and PlaySight partners with over 30 sports to provide advanced technology to help athletes improve faster and play with more purpose and focus.

Shachar says padel’s explosive growth presents a prime opportunity for both PlaySight and padel clubs that utilise its technology.

“When it came to padel, I was introduced in Spain. I was in one of the major tennis clubs in Madrid, and they showed me three padel courts and they said, ‘you know, that's a new game and it's picking up.’”

Shachar continues: “Suddenly, you see that padel is booming exponentially, and it did boom during Covid-19 in Europe and other places.”

Now that padel has gained momentum in the US — with the International Padel Federation (FIP) estimating there are now 650 courts nationwide — Shachar says PlaySight is facilitating the growth of the sport in the country.

“I think where PlaySight is contributing to that is by converting courts into smart courts. We are enhancing the players' experience when they play. They can get some highlights of their games. They can see some stats. Post-match, you and I can watch the game and laugh about it. So it makes it more social and beneficial.”

The importance of PlaySight’s partnerships within padel

PlaySight has been a proud gold sponsor of RacquetX for both years of its existence. The three-day event based in Miami brings together all racquet sports in one venue to discuss opportunities for growth and mutually beneficial relationships between the sports.

Shachar says even though the conference caters to all racquet sports, padel’s rapid rise to prominence makes it the star of the show.

As proof of this, the first panel discussion during this year’s RacquetX, held on 22-24 March, was entitled ‘The Future of Padel: Global Growth, Innovation, and Industry Leadership,’ featuring the FIP president Luigi Carraro, Premier Padel CEO David Sugden, and Hexagon Cup co-founder Sergio Lewin. The leaders of three of the most impactful padel organisations took centre stage to kickstart RacquetX, discussing their thoughts on where padel can go in the future.

Five padel courts were also built in the Miami Beach Convention Center, tied for the most with pickleball among any of the featured racquet sports. Shachar himself presented on behalf of PlaySight, spotlighting the evolution of AI and video technology in racquet sports but focusing on the many padel clubs that have adopted PlaySight’s technology.

Shachar says events like RacquetX offer PlaySight the valuable opportunity to continue to differentiate itself, connect with padel industry leaders, and connect with potential customers.

“We are probably the only company today in the market that has an AI solution for all the main racquet sports. So for padel, we have the possibility to be a sponsor here, get visibility, and to meet with potential customers that are opening facilities, as well as industry leaders, and influencers. It’s a good opportunity.”

Staying at the forefront of innovation

PlaySight prioritises an enterprising attitude when embracing change and developing technology.

The company has twice been named among the world’s ‘Most Innovative Companies in Sports’ by Fast Company in 2017 and 2018. It has also been named a finalist by the STA Group for ‘Innovation of the Year for 2025’ for its introduction of PlaySight GoMobile — the first smartphone-based professional broadcasting system. It uses military-grade hardware, making it resistant to the elements and able to work in extreme temperatures up to 160℉. It also provides live-streaming capabilities, automatic integration with scoreboards, and automated highlights.

As its newest product solution, PlaySight GoMobile was on full display at RacquetX. It had devices set up to live-stream four different padel courts throughout the three-day event. Shachar says feedback has been positive about the simplicity of setting up the device and the ability it presents to padel club owners to enhance their guests’ playing experience.

“The feedback is amazing. The GoMobile is actually the most cost-effective solution today for racquet sports to be able to generate content and stream live from multiple courts.

“So if traditionally, a padel tournament had a budget, they would've streamed live maybe from the centre. Now they can stream from every single angle, which means that now you can generate more content, more people are exposed to the game, more people will participate.”

Providing more revenue streams for padel club owners

In addition to its technological innovation, PlaySight provides inventive solutions for padel club owners to maximise revenue. Shachar details how clubs can earn more revenue per court with PlaySight’s technology at the helm.

“And for the clubs, they can now plan on generating more revenues per court because they can sell more services”, says Shachar. “They can sell the smart court services and can have a coach run private lessons on them. So there is a whole ecosystem that can benefit from the system.”

One of PlaySight’s most eye-catching features is that it allows sports teams or padel club owners to create their own sports channel.

The PlaySight Sports Network (PSSN) gives owners access to a full-service sports network infrastructure, allowing them to create premium video content. It offers options to fully customise the on-demand page by the club’s brand, includes monetisation platforms to attract sponsors, and provides the ability to create subscription plans.

Shachar says the additional revenue streams help club owners merge the goals of padel owners in optimising padel play for guests while generating more revenue.

“We have a variety of ways to help them generate revenues, from selling sponsorships to increasing the booking fees, to selling extra features. There are a lot of ways to generate revenue.”

Using technology to help padel grow

Shachar says PlaySight’s tech solutions provide a helpful support system as padel expands rapidly across the US.

The growth in the States has been exponential, both professionally and for amateurs. There were only 163 professional padel players in the US in 2020, and now there are nearly 2,000 pro players, according to FIP’s Research and Data Analysis Department. In the same timespan, individual membership in the United States Padel Association (USPA) has grown from 163 in 2020 to 1,917 in 2024, according to the USPA’s first-ever annual report.

When clubs install PlaySight when they open, Shachar says, it serves as an investment that the club owners earn back through increased membership and greater user satisfaction.

PlaySight’s role in the future of padel

PlaySight looks to play a big role in spreading its technology among the younger generations, a nod to its mission statement of democratising sports technology. The company has established partnerships with high schools around the country to use its solutions to improve how their kids train and how fans consume the games. 

Shachar says many of its high school clients, like Santa Margarita Catholic High School in California, use PlaySight to broadcast games to relatives unable to watch in person. Schools also use the advanced analytics inherent in PlaySight’s software to help kids get better in less time than before.

As padel continues its push to get into the Olympics very soon, Shachar believes Playsight’s technology can be highly effective on the biggest stage of all in sports. Due to the abundance of cameras present at the Olympics, he believes PlaySight’s usefulness will be more in providing in-depth information for fans watching from home.

“If PlaySight will be used at the Olympics, it'll not be about the video element of that. I think our ability to analyse the game and generate statistics and insights of the game, that's something that will be used to enhance the viewer's experience when they watch padel.”

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