MELBOURNE, Australia - Rafael Nadals new high-tech tennis racket looks and feels like his old one. Rick Barry Jersey . Except for the on-off switch.Call it a smart racket, the latest advance in tennis technology tells you where you hit the ball — with the help of an app.Sensors embedded in the handle of the racket, made by Babolat, record technical data on every ball struck. At the end of a match or training session the data can be downloaded to a smart phone or computer and used to help analyze a players strengths and mistakes.Aside from the sensors, the racket is just a racket. Its the same size and weight as Nadals old-fashioned former racket.I know to play well I need to play 70 per cent of forehands, 30 per cent of backhands, Nadal said after racing through his first-round Australian Open match over Mikhail Youzhny, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 on Monday. If Im not doing that, I know Im not doing the right thing on court.This (racket) is a way you can check these kinds of things, added the 14-time Grand Slam winner, who was sidelined for much of last season from a wrist injury and an appendix operation.The International Tennis Federation had previously outlawed what it calls player analysis technology during competition but adopted a new rule last January that allows players to wear or use smart equipment, like Nadals new racket and devices like heart-rate monitors that record data about player performance in real time.Babolat initially fitted the technology into its Pure Drive rackets, which are used by Karolina Pliskova , Julia Goerges and Yanina Wickmayer and then incorporated the sensors into a newly-released version of the AeroPro Drive racket used by Nadal, Caroline Wozniacki and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.Dont expect to see players on their iPhones analyzing their game mid-match. An ITF ban on coaching during matches prevents players from consulting the data on court.The way it works is simple, says company spokesman Thomas Otton.There are two buttons on the bottom of the rackets handle.You press the on button. A blue LED light appears. And, you play, Otton said. When finished, a second button is pressed, activating Bluetooth which synchs the information with a smart phone or other device.Otton called up Nadals data from his practice session on Friday that lasted 1 hour, 31 minutes. In that time, he hit 572 shots, or 22 per minute, which broke down to 156 backhands, 222 forehands, 118 serves and 76 smashes.The data also gets more detailed and analyzes, for example, how Nadal hit his forehands — 133 had topspin, 49 had slice and 40 were flat.Swipe to the next screen and an image of a tennis racket appears that shows where the ball is making impact. For Nadals practice, he hit 42 per cent of shots in the centre and 20 per cent on top of the racket — the rest on the bottom and sides.At a demonstration of the racket before the tournament started, Wozniacki and Nadal joked about the pros and cons of knowing too much.Sometimes its not a good thing, said Wozniacki. Because you think youre hitting it in the middle of the racket, but really it shows you youre not. And theres no going around that.Nadals uncle and coach, Toni, joked that the racket would give him an edge.Sometimes when I correct Rafa on how hes hitting the ball, he doesnt agree. said Toni. Now I have the data.Nadal retorted, without missing a beat, Now he has the data to know that he was wrong. Stephen Curry Jersey . James Jones got his turn Sunday. And the lift he brought, combined with the expected playoff showings from LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, have the Heat off and running in these playoffs. Kevon Looney Jersey . 5 Trade Deadline isnt that far away and teams will be making decisions on whether to buy, sell and decide which players can make the biggest difference and hold the greatest value. http://www.shopwarriorsonline.com/Cheap-Chris-Mullin-Warriors-Jersey/ .com) - Driphus Jackson had three touchdown passes, including two in a 19-second span in the opening quarter, to guide Rice to a 30-6 rout of Fresno State at the Hawaii Bowl.Got a question on rule clarification, comments on rule enforcements or some memorable NHL stories? Kerry wants to answer your emails at cmonref@tsn.ca. Hello Kerry, I was wondering if you can clarify why the Minnesota Wilds third goal versus the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday was allowed, or not even reviewed when it clearly didnt cross the goal line. Does the NHL not review all goals, regardless of crossing the line or not? If this would have been reviewed, the OT period would not have been required. Any clarification would be great - always a pleasure reading your side of these questions. First time writer, Roland, Winnipeg --- Hi Kerry, Really enjoy your column, always some great insight into what is happening on questionable plays. I have a question about the Jets/Wild game from Saturday. It seems that after further examination the tying goal that Thomas Vanek tipped, never actually crossed the goal-line as it went post-crossbar and down, but not across the line. It was called a goal, but not reviewed. I thought the War Room looked at every goal, why was this one not reviewed? Everything worked out well for the Jets as they got the win in OT, but it seems the game should never have gone to OT. Thanks, Leslie Mitchnik Roland and Leslie: Every apparent goal is reviewed by a staff member in the Situation Room in Toronto, in addition to the Video Goal Judge on site and must be confirmed as a good goal prior to the next puck drop. A final decision is rendered and then communicated by the Situation Room personnel to the penalty timekeeper at ice level to issue a thumbs up to the referee at centre ice. This is the signal to the ref that a good goal has been determined and he is allowed to drop the puck and resume play. A thumbs up is not issued until there is concrete evidence that the puck entered the net. The quick decision to confirm the tying goal credited to Thomas Vanek as opposed to placing the play under formal review however is somewhat confusing to us based on the broadcast replays that were offered. Kevin Durant Jersey. A formal review provides additional time within the process to look at every available angle and confirm beyond even the slightest doubt that a valid goal was scored. Replays shown by various camera angles on the Hockey Night Broadcast, in addition to postgame recap on NHL Game Center Live footage create reasonable suspicion (and even a pretty clear impression) that the puck went post to crossbar and straight down onto and ahead of the goal line without ever entering the net as you suggest Leslie. As I watched the Hockey Night in Canada feed I was also surprised that the ever hawkish Gary Galley or the guys in the broadcast truck did not pick up on the iron being struck on their final replay before going back to live action. Conversely, any suspicion that the puck did not enter the net was never mentioned throughout the balance of the game. Perhaps we missed something here Roland and Leslie? What we dont see, and would have if the play was placed under formal review, is the overhead camera shot. Referee Gord Dwyer, in perfect position on the goal line, signaled a goal when he believed that he saw the puck enter the goal underneath the crossbar and then struck the net-cam inside the top of the net. I cant believe that with the sensitivity surrounding goals being scored, the Situation Room did not have irrefutable evidence that the puck entered the net underneath the crossbar in confirmation of what the referee saw. Given our inability to observe the overhead shot, both the referee and the review process deserve the benefit of the doubt as far as Im concerned. It is just unfortunate that the hockey world did not have the opportunity to view the overhead camera in order to remove even the slightest hint of doubt from our minds as to whether the puck entered the net. Perhaps future broadcasts will provide the overhead camera feed whenever it is available for the viewing audience to see as well. 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