Taylor Newman

USA TODAY Sports

Bethanie Mattek-Sands is among a group testing Google Glass

Mattek-Sands has used the glasses to help improve her tennis%2C among other things

%22All of the players at Wimbledon have been asking about %28the glasses%29%22

Bethanie Mattek-Sands has long been known as a player who will push the limits with her non-traditional outfits. Now she is pushing some technology limits.

The American has been bounding around Wimbledon equipped with Google Glass, the wearable-computer that, among other things, she has been using as a tennis training aid.

"When I initially found out about (the glasses) I thought videoing from the vantage point of when I'm practicing or hitting a ball would be so cool to see what my eyes see," Mattek-Sands said.

For nearly two weeks, Mattek-Sands has been experimenting with the hands-free headset that functions similar to a smart phone or computer. She is part of a select Google Explorer group of about a thousand people who are testing the product in pre-release format.

"I'm really stoked I get to work with Google and test out something that is brand new on the market," Mattek-Sands said. "All of the players at Wimbledon have been asking about (the glasses)."

Mattek-Sands has recorded spurts of hitting sessions, helping her contact point, split-step timing and head positioning. Seeing the video can help her to make improvements.

The potential in tennis is huge, Mattek-Sands believes. Fans sitting courtside eventually will be able to see stats, videotape points to share on social media sites or even tune in to watch a player from that player's point of view.

"You get viewpoints that have never been accessed before," Mattek-Sands said.

Mattek-Sands has been working alongside her coach to take a closer look inside what the eye sees. The video really does show the player's perspective.

"My coach really liked the viewpoint," Mattek-Sands said. "We had a chance to look at it on the computer and it was a cool training tool."

The glasses have had an off-the-court benefit, too. When flying from tournament to tournament, Mattek-Sands uses the glasses to get traffic reports, tell her what time to leave and if her flight is on time or delayed.

The no-hands factor has made cooking simple. Mattek-Sands, who cooks a lot because of food allergies and restrictions, looks up recipes and gets the directions right there.

There also is a navigation feature, providing directions to anywhere using Google maps and even noting the direction you're facing.

And it has the Google search engine.

"I am one of those people that randomly Google searches a lot," Mattek-Sands said. "We might be walking past a building and I Google it.

She won't be wearing the glasses when she faces No. 7 Angelique Kerber in the first round of Wimbledon today.

"It's still something on your face and you still kind of see the screen in your right hand sight," Mattek-Sands said. "The practices and the hitting are a little different."

For now, as part of the explorer team, she'll report back giving her thoughts on what she thinks could improve, what she liked and how she could see the glasses help her personally in both tennis and life in general.

"It was cool to have the opportunity to be one of the first one's trying the glasses," Mattek-Sands said. "It's been a blast working with Google."