Acemate Review: Is an AI Tennis Ball Machine Worth It?
Acemate Review: Is an AI Tennis Ball Machine Worth It?
By Joe, PH Tennis
Quick Summary
Is the Acemate the future of tennis training, or just another gimmick? This is not a paid ad or a promotional piece. It's an honest review. I played tennis every single day, 160 balls a day, with the Acemate, and I definitely got better.
My verdict: a fantastic hitting partner it is. An opponent it is not. It moves around the court and sends balls back from where your shot went, so you get something close to real rally play, with lots of variety and data on every session. But the ball pace tops out at an intermediate tempo, and it can't make decisions or construct points.
Who should avoid it: elite, competition-level players who need pace and pressure, and anyone looking for an opponent rather than a hitting partner. It's not a cheap bit of kit either.
Watch the video above to see the Acemate moving, tracking and rallying on court.
Acemate at a Glance
| Feature | What we found |
|---|---|
| Movement | Moves around the court and returns balls from an equivalent position. Its real key USP |
| Ball speed | Acemate claim about 85 km/h. Feels like an intermediate tempo |
| Catching | Fully catches about one or two in five good-quality balls |
| Drills | Built-in drills, plus your own custom drills in the app |
| Timing | Reactive timing, regular intervals, or fully random |
| Data | Session summaries with shot quality, shots made, effort and ball speed |
| Ball capacity | 100 balls in the hopper |
What This Is
This is an honest review of a new bit of kit we've been trying out. I'm very sceptical about ball machines in general, but we hadn't reviewed one before, and they're becoming more and more popular as they get more intelligent.
The Acemate is AI-powered and moves around the court, which is probably its real key USP. In the promotional videos, you see the Acemate catching the ball, tracking it and sending it back. It does do that, to an extent and at certain tempos. But what I think is really great is that you get open rally play, which you don't get with other machines. The Acemate tracks across the court, and even if it doesn't catch your ball because it was too good, it sends back a ball from an equivalent position. So it's mimicking a rally, and that's really cool.
In the app there are built-in drills, and you can customise your own. We had a lot of fun working out how to get the Acemate to put me under pressure. You can also track all your data.
My Verdict
I was impressed with the Acemate. It doesn't beat competition, and it doesn't beat a real human being in lots of ways, but it's a fantastic hitting partner, and I'm definitely going to carry on using it.
Because you get realistic rally play, albeit at a slightly lower tempo, you can really hone in on the skills you want to improve. I haven't used a ball machine in years, and this one has really won me over. Probably not for elite players, and probably not for everyone given the price tag, but a really cool piece of kit.
Who Should Avoid the Acemate
Elite, competition-level players. The ball doesn't come out quickly enough and doesn't create enough pressure. It could make me defend until I was knackered chasing balls down, but it can't apply enough pressure through its ball quality.
Anyone looking for an opponent. It isn't making decisions or constructing points. If you want someone to play against, it's probably not a robot yet, but an actual human being.
Anyone not fairly invested in their tennis. It's not a cheap bit of kit.
The Cons
We're mixing it up and doing cons first, then pros.
Ball Speed
Acemate claim the ball comes off at about 85 km/h. To me, that feels like an intermediate tempo. It can move me around the court and give me a great workout, but in terms of pace on the ball, it struggles to put me under any pressure.
It's Not a Real Person
It can mimic rally play, but it isn't making decisions, and it isn't really constructing points and playing against you.
Catching
Catching seems like an additional feature. It makes the machine look quite striking, but it's not great at it. If there's a lot of pace on the ball, or you drive it high with a lot of topspin, it struggles to hold on, and a lot of those balls spin out. I'd say it fully catches one or two in five good-quality balls.
But you can load 100 balls in the hopper, so you're getting 100 balls back. If you can rally 100 balls in a row, fair play to you. I certainly couldn't, and it definitely outlasted me.
The Pros
Closer to a Real Hitting Partner
What the Acemate does really well is get you closer to realistic play and an actual hitting partner, and I was surprised at how well it did this. It doesn't catch every ball, but that's not really the point. It sends the ball back from where your shot went, so you get realistic movement and a ball coming back from a realistic court position.
Reactive Timing and Real Variety
You can set reactive timing, so it sends balls at an interval that matches what you're putting in. You can also have it ping at regular intervals. Or you can go completely random: one ball loopy with big heavy topspin, one flatter, one with slice, moving you side to side. When we played on random, it really was random, and it was a real workout to get around the court and keep up with the robot.
It Tracks Your Data
I didn't know this until I'd finished a couple of sessions, but the Acemate tracks all your data: shot quality, shots made, effort given and more. It's a nice addition that can lift what might be a boring session, because you can track your progress. Over the few weeks I've been testing it, I could see I was getting better. I was making more balls and hitting with greater quality.
It Works as a Normal Ball Machine Too
It doesn't have to move around. It can be stationary, and the ball pace can go up slightly, although again, not to anything that will trouble advanced players. I quite like it when it moves, though. When you set up drills, it moves itself into position, which is pretty cool.
Who It's For
Club and recreational players who are fairly invested in their tennis.
Anyone who wants to improve their fitness or timing.
Anyone who just wants more reps, whether that's movement reps, topspin reps or whatever it might be. You'll find a setting that works.
Coaches. I've long disliked the ball machine, not because I thought it would take my job, but because I value the variety a coach can manage. But the Acemate does a really good job of this. If you were an injured coach, or you wanted to work really closely with a player, I'd be more than happy setting it up at one end so I could work at the player's end, the way the pros do with a hitting partner and their coach.
Will It Improve Your Level?
Put simply, yes. Reps improve your level, and the Acemate gives you better-quality reps than most other ball machines. Maybe not better than a human being, where decision-making comes in, but in terms of quality reps from an appropriate court position with lots of variety, it's a really good training tool.
Try the Acemate at a PH Tennis Demo
At PH Tennis we run racket demos, where customers choose a selection of rackets to try, and we're going to be using the Acemate in them. We set you up with the rackets, you play with the Acemate, and we can be down the court with you. We don't have to worry about feeding you the right balls, because the Acemate does that. We can just talk to you about the racket and the changes you might need to make, and give you better advice, closer to you.
Wherever you are in the UK, you can also use our demo service. Add £25 to any adult racket order and we string it, fit an overgrip, add protection tape and send it out. Get on court and test it properly. If it's wrong, return it for a full refund on the racket, minus strings and the demo fee. If it's right, we refund the £25.
Book a racket demo with PH Tennis
FAQ
Is the Acemate worth it?
For club and recreational players who are invested in their tennis, yes. It's a fantastic hitting partner with realistic rally play, variety and session data. It isn't for elite players or anyone looking for an opponent.
How fast does the Acemate hit the ball?
Acemate claim about 85 km/h. In our testing it felt like an intermediate tempo, not enough pace to pressure advanced players.
Does the Acemate catch the ball?
Sometimes. We found it fully caught about one or two in five good-quality balls. It struggles with pace and heavy topspin, but it still sends a ball back from an equivalent court position.
What makes the Acemate different from other ball machines?
It moves around the court and returns balls from where your shot went, which mimics an open rally. It also offers reactive timing, random variety and session data.
Who should avoid the Acemate?
Elite, competition-level players who need more pace and pressure, anyone looking for an opponent rather than a hitting partner, and anyone not ready for the price tag.
Can I try the Acemate at PH Tennis?
Yes. We're going to be using the Acemate in our racket demo sessions, so you can experience it first-hand while you test rackets.
Where can I demo a tennis racket in the UK?
PH Tennis offers a UK-wide demo service. Add £25 to any adult racket order, and the racket is strung, gripped, taped and sent out. If it's not right, return it for a full refund minus strings and the demo fee. If it is, the £25 is refunded.
Find out about our demo service
Final Thoughts
A fantastic hitting partner it is. An opponent it is not. I'll be using it a little more.
If you're interested in demoing rackets with us, we'll be using the Acemate, so you can experience it first-hand as well. Thank you all for reading, and subscribe to the channel so you never miss a thing from PH Tennis.
About PH Tennis
PH Tennis is North London's premier tennis store, serving Enfield, Middlesex and beyond. We're the place to come for tennis rackets, honest advice, restrings and demos.
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