There are tennis ball machines, and then there are robots that apparently want to play tennis against you.
ACEMATE has unveiled the S10 Pro at IFA 2026, its new flagship AI tennis robot designed to take the concept introduced with the original S10 and push it much further towards structured training and actual match play.
And this is one we’ll be able to tell you considerably more about soon. Digital Reviews Network currently has an ACEMATE S10 in for review, where we’ve put it in the hands of a professional tennis coach to properly test its capabilities.
Rather than simply firing balls across the net from a stationary position, the S10 Pro uses dual 4K HDR binocular vision, computer vision and omni-directional mobility to track the ball, move around the court and return shots from where they land.
ACEMATE has also added its new ACE+ SHOT technology, five distinct training modes and an AI-driven training system that analyses performance and provides recommendations after a session.
In other words, this is considerably more ambitious than having a bucket of tennis balls fired at you.
Five ways to train with the ACEMATE S10 Pro
ACEMATE has built five core training modes into the S10 Pro: Rally, Drill, Serve, Ball Machine and Battle.
Rally Mode is closest to the concept behind the original ACEMATE S10. The robot tracks an incoming in-bounds shot, moves to intercept it and then returns the ball from the landing position.
The idea is to create something closer to hitting with another player rather than repeatedly receiving balls from the same point on the court.
Drill Mode introduces target areas and scoring, allowing players to work specifically on placement and consistency.
Serve Mode goes a little further. The S10 Pro tracks the player’s serve, including its success, speed, net clearance and spin, before simulating a return. That allows players to practise not only their serve but the increasingly important serve-plus-one shot that follows it.
For those who still want the traditional experience, Ball Machine Mode provides consistent, repeatable feeds with control over the robot’s various shot parameters.
Then there is Battle Mode, which is arguably where things get particularly interesting.
Rather than following a predefined feeding sequence, the S10 Pro attempts to behave like an AI opponent. It analyses incoming shots and selects its own response, with four preset playing styles available: Defense, Attack, Topspin and Variety.
The robot can also record scores and point-by-point results, allowing a training session to resemble something closer to an actual match.
For solo players in particular, that’s potentially a much bigger deal than simply adding more sophisticated ball-feeding patterns. The S10 Pro isn’t just supposed to send a ball where you’ve told it to; in Battle Mode, it’s making decisions about what happens next.
ACE+ SHOT gives the S10 Pro considerably more firepower
A major hardware upgrade is ACEMATE’s new ACE+ SHOT omni-directional launch system.
Instead of turning the entire robot to change where it sends the next ball, the S10 Pro can alter the horizontal launch direction internally.
That should allow it to remain in position while changing shot direction much more quickly, particularly during faster rallies and drills.
The system can launch balls at speeds of up to 75 mph, or approximately 120 km/h, while providing as much as 180 degrees of horizontal coverage.
Players can configure a launch angle between 7 (updated) and 40 degrees, trajectory heights from one to eight metres, and feeding intervals ranging from one to 15 seconds.
Flat shots, topspin and backspin are supported.
Combined with the robot’s ability to move around the court, ACEMATE says this allows training sessions to vary pace, depth, direction, spin and recovery time rather than simply repeating the same shot.
It also means the S10 Pro can be configured for everything from relatively controlled technical repetition through to much faster sequences where the player needs to react, move and make decisions under pressure.
ACEMATE wants AI to become your tennis coach
Of course, it wouldn’t be a technology launch in 2026 without AI somewhere in the equation.
In this case, however, ACEMATE is attempting to use it for considerably more than sticking an AI label on the box.
The company describes the S10 Pro’s system as a five-stage training loop: Train, Track, Analyse, Review and Improve.
Before stepping onto the court, players can select one of the S10 Pro’s modes, choose from more than 100 built-in training plans, or configure their own parameters through the ACEMATE app where supported.
Training can then be controlled using a smartphone, supported smartwatch or gesture controls.
During compatible training modes, the S10 Pro records performance data throughout the session.
Afterwards, the ACEMATE app presents results, AI analysis and recommendations intended to guide the player’s next training session.
It’s an interesting approach because the value proposition isn’t simply replacing somebody feeding balls from the other side of the net. ACEMATE is attempting to combine the ball machine, hitting partner and elements of a tennis coach into a single autonomous system.
We’re getting a taste of ACEMATE’s approach with the S10 currently in review. Whether it can genuinely deliver that complete experience is something we’ll be particularly interested in finding out during our review.
Built for longer sessions
The S10 Pro can carry up to 100 tennis balls and ACEMATE claims up to five hours of operation. (Updated.)
It’s also designed to operate across hard, clay and grass courts, making it suitable for most conventional tennis environments.
Four hours is potentially a substantial amount of court time, although real-world battery life will naturally depend on exactly what you’re asking the robot to do.
Again, that’s something we’ll be able to explore with the S10 currently undergoing testing at Digital Reviews Network.
ACEMATE S10 Pro Australian pricing and availability
The ACEMATE S10 Pro has an Australian MSRP of A$4,599.
International pricing has been set at:
- US$2,999
- €2,999
- £2,999
- CAD$3,999
- A$4,599
ACEMATE is now accepting deposits for S10 Pro preorders through its official website.
For anyone attending IFA 2026 in Berlin, the S10 Pro will also be demonstrated at Hall 1.2, Booth 146 during the show, which runs from 4 to 8 September.
The S10 Pro follows the original ACEMATE S10, which attracted considerable attention following its launch. ACEMATE says the S10 raised US$2.4 million on Kickstarter, was named among TIME’s Best Inventions of 2025, won Best in IFA Next at the 2025 IFA Innovation Awards, and received a 2025 ISPO Award.
At A$4,599, the S10 Pro certainly isn’t an impulse purchase. But this isn’t really competing with a cheap tennis ball launcher either.
ACEMATE is trying to build something much closer to an autonomous training partner — one that can rally, move around the court, analyse what you’re doing and, with Battle Mode, actually try to beat you.
That’s a rather more interesting proposition.
And with an ACEMATE S10 already in our hands for review, we won’t have to rely solely on the spec sheet to find out how well it works.
Stay tuned for our full review on Digital Reviews Network.