This year’s Estoril Open proved to be quite an entertaining watch. The tournament was host to several nail-biting contests, including the men’s singles and doubles finals, both of which went down to the deciding set. But there was another thing that sparked massive attention at the event besides the matches.

Fans were left surprised to see a mini Porsche sweep the dirt lines on the clay courts at the Estoril Open. The vehicle was also seen navigating under the net and circling the court in front of the players. The car was remote-controlled and was being operated by a person off the court. They were equipped with sweeping mats that were attached to their rear bumpers.

Notably, Porsche served as one of the tournament’s major sponsors, so this was most likely a marketing strategy. It was used during changeovers or during match intervals to smooth out the surface.

But even multiple miniature cars can’t do such an elaborate task alone. So, the ground staff also helped in clearing out the dirt off the court. This was the first tournament where such mini vehicles were used to sweep the courts, which is generally done by the ground staff members only.

With Porsche sponsoring multiple other tournaments on the tour like the WTA Stuttgart Open, it won’t be a surprise to see more of these miniature vehicles in tennis tournaments in the near future. Moreover, other automobile manufacturers, who also sponsor tennis events, might follow the lead of Porsche and come up with their own miniature cars.

While this new technology may be useful as it reduces the work of the ground staff, fans aren’t quite convinced by the way that the vehicle operates. Many believe that the cars are also not that great at their work and do not belong on a tennis court.

Tennis fans weigh in on mini Porsche sweeping the courts at Estoril Open

One fan pointed out that despite being advanced technology, the miniature cars are still quite slow at their work. “Thanks to the technology. It’s slower and less accurate than a person.”

Another fan also expressed a similar sentiment and felt that the cars weren’t working properly. “Human follows behind actually doing it properly.”

There was a fan who came up with a pretty interesting name for the miniature cars that were sweeping the courts. “Mini-zambonis.”

There was also a fan who was impressed with the technology and was left surprised with its use. “Sick af actually.”

Finally, a fan described the mini vehicles as “weird” and felt that it was quite strange seeing them sweep the courts at the Estoril Open. “If you haven’t seen anything weird today, here you go.”

With the technology in tennis evolving almost every year, tournament organizers are trying to limit human effort as much as they can. But it isn’t a surprise that such technology isn’t received well by the fans, as it is still far from efficient and still needs time to reach the standards of a major tournament.