What Does a Forehand Winner Sound Like? Clink, Blip-Blip-Blip!
At the Australian Open tennis tournament, new technology is translating the movement of the ball into sounds to help blind and low-vision fans follow the action.
Kala Petronijevic, who has limited vision, listened to Action Audio while watching the Australian Open men’s quarterfinals.Credit…Alana Holmberg for The New York Times
By Amanda Morris
Amanda Morris covers disability issues, using her own experiences as a disabled person to inform her reporting.
Jan. 27, 2022
Listen to This Article
There’s a new way for sports fans to follow tennis. Hear it here.
To hear more audio stories from publications like The New York Times, download Audm for iPhone or Android.
Rapid, echoing pops go off in Michael Marshall’s ears when he listens to an Australian Open tennis match, followed closely by high- and low-pitched clinks. Three pops on the left signal that the ball landed close to the line; a low-pitched clink means that the player returned it with a backhand stroke.
Without context, these noises might sound like arcade sound effects or some new version of Morse code — but each one is a [...]
Read article at nytimes.com (Provides limited free articles.)