Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/1959.3/83277

Title

Applying tennis match statistics to increase serving performance during a match in progress

Author(s)

Pollard, Geoff;  Pollard, Graham;  Barnett, Tristan;  Zeleznikow, John

Abstract

Analyzing risk-taking strategies in tennis is complicated. There has been a tendency to analyze risk-taking on the serve more often than other shots. This seems reasonable as the serve is the first shot to be played and therefore simplifies the analysis by not having to consider previous shots in the rally. Early research in tennis serving strategies includes Gale, Norman, George, Gillman and Hannan. More recently, Barnett et al. analyzed the situation where players may choose to serve two fast serves by taking into account the type of court surface, and the serving and receiving capabilities of both players. Pollard et al analyzed the situation where there is a continuum amount of risk that players can take on their serve. They concluded that in most practical situations it was optimal for a player to serve a higher risk first serve and a lower risk second serve. He also analysed the typical situation in which a medium risk serve has a quadratic outcome rather than a linear one; one which gives greater weighting to the outcome of serving a high risk serve rather than the outcome of a low risk serve. In this article, we analyse the situation where a player takes a high level of risk on the first serve, and either a high or a low level of risk on the second serve. Similar analyses could be carried out for when a player takes a medium or low level of risk on either serve (although the risk on the second serve should always be no greater than that taken on the first serve). A player may deviate from the strategy of taking a high level of risk on the first serve as a surprise strategy, but this problem is not considered in this paper. The model considered here allows serving strategies that are dependent on the type of court surface and the serving and receiving capabilities of any two top players. The model is extended to allow for the possibility of players changing serving strategies throughout the match in progress. Practical suggestions are given for the use of these methods by elite players in order to increase their performance. In particular, match statistics are displayed on the scoreboard for the players to view, and these statistics can assist the players as to whether to use two high risk serves or a typical high risk first serve and low risk second serve. Given that coaching intervention is allowed in team competition, this creates even more opportunities for the use of technology to assist players in determining serving strategies.

Publication type

Journal article

Research centre

Swinburne University of Technology

Source

Journal of Medicine and Science in Tennis, Vol. 14, no. 3 (Oct 2009), pp.16-19

Publication year

2009

FOR Code(s)

010404 Probability Theory

Keyword(s)

International Tennis Federation;  Tennis match statistics;  Serving strategies;  Sports statistics

Publisher

Society for Tennis Medicine

ISSN

1567-2352

Publisher URL

http://www.stms.nl/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1239&Itemid=356

Copyright

Copyright © 2009 Society of Tennis Medicine and Science. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without prior written permission of the copyright holder.

Peer reviewed