Britain’s most successful tennis player Andy Murray has thrown his weight behind a new app that will make it easier for people to play the sport.
The DEUCE app allows players to be matched with coach-led sessions and courts at nearby participating clubs or parks.
Matt Willcocks is the brainchild behind DEUCE and described it as being the “Airbnb for tennis with the simplicity of Uber!”.
Double Wimbledon champion Murray has added DEUCE to a portfolio of 30 start-ups in his expanding business investment portfolio.
The 31-year-old is currently battling back from a long-term injury and is so convinced by the app’s potential he’s put his name next to it.
He explained: “The team behind Deuce are really impressive and they have a working knowledge of tennis and tennis clubs in this country so they really understand the issues and the potential.
“Tennis is such a great sport with so many benefits – physical, mental and social, but we simply don’t have enough people playing in this country.
“We need to fill empty courts with people playing more often and Deuce uses today’s technology to do this in a simple, welcoming and affordable way.”
The company describes the app as a ‘virtual’ home for tennis and hopes it will play a key role in growing the popularity of the sport in Great Britain and across the globe, ahead of Wimbledon.
Inventor Willcocks, 45, is the former tennis director at Gosling Sports Park, the largest tennis facility in the country.
Willcocks said: “Nowadays everything can be done on the move from your smartphone – whether it’s booking a taxi, takeaway or holiday it’s never been so easy and there’s no reason why playing tennis shouldn’t be the same.
“Tennis is a fantastic sport, we have the courts, we have the coaches and we know that there are millions of people that are not members of clubs but that want to play more tennis.
“Using today’s technology Deuce will provide its users with accessible, great value coaching, courts and playing opportunities at the tap of a button. Think Airbnd for tennis with the simplicity of Uber!”
The app was launched on May 11 through a regional pilot in Hertfordshire. It will be available in early July for users in London and then rolled out in Scotland and other hot spots around Great Britain by the end of 2018.
The company plans to add tennis insight, information and news to the app and the capacity to match members to other players of a similar standard who want to play more.
From July, DEUCE members will be able to book a court a day and join a session a week for a monthly subscription of £10.