Premiering on May 7 at 10 PM ET on ESPN+, Michelob Ultra, in collaboration with tech and production company Unit 9, presents “McEnroe vs. McEnroe,” the world’s first tennis match to feature a real person versus a virtual player — both being a version of the entertaining, confrontational tennis player, John McEnroe. In the match, the real McEnroe will face off against his ultimate opponent—his younger self. In this case, a virtual player powered by A.I.
The 45-minute film will showcase how the match was created using a combination of artificial intelligence (A.I.) and machine learning, plus five virtual avatars of John McEnroe from pivotal points of his career.