ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — This weekend marks the end of an era, as the Atlanta Open finishes play for the final time.
With hot and humid temperatures all week, professional tennis players have been turning to a mitten-like device to keep cool during competition.
It’s called CoolMitt and exchanges heat from the hands with temperature-controlled air from circulating water which travels through the bloodstream.
This year, the device is available for every athlete at the Atlanta Open.
Kevin King is the Georgia Tech men’s tennis assistant coach, who previously played on the ATP Tour.
“When you’re on tour, you’re looking for just small percentages of improvement,” he said. “So, this device definitely provides that.”
Hans Hach is a pro player competing in doubles play at the Atlanta Open. He says heat can hinder performance for every athlete.
“Tennis follows the sun and it gets so hot, especially here in Atlanta,” Hach said.
“Most difficult thing is really keeping your body temperature down when you’re playing,” King added.
That’s where the CoolMitt comes into play, keeping athletes cool while helping reduce fatigue.
Portable and battery-operated device is attached to a mitt, allowing anyone to place their hand inside.
Craig Gile is CoolMitt’s founder and president.
“Pulls heat out of the body so rapidly, that even in 30 seconds, they can have incremental heat come out of their body,” he said. “As tennis players go through a match, they have more and more thermal reserve building up.”
CoolMitt is being used by athletes all over the world, including some Olympians in Paris.
Over 70 professional sports teams in the United States are already utilizing the technology, including the Atlanta Braves.
“It’s literally a way to tap into your body’s natural radiators,” Gile said. “Allowing colder blood flow to the heart, then distributing it to the muscles within the body.”
For Hach, this gives him an extra edge over his opponents at the Atlanta Open.
“I’ll use it every time I see it on court,” he concluded. “Hopefully my opponent does not, so I can beat them.”
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