Selection, Placement and Quality of the Strokes Three to Eight in Men’s World-Class Tennis

Education and Sport Qualifications IntroductionIn men’s world-class tennis 80% of all points are finished after a maximum of eight strokes (Weber et al., 2010). The presented study observes and analyses the selection, placement and quality of the strokes three to eight in men’s world-class tennis. MethodsThe test sample contains n = 24871 strokes from 25 matches from the US Open 2010 and the French Open 2012. The results are categorised in placement (14 different zones on the tennis court), frequency and success rate of the different strokes. Furthermore, a comparison between winners and losers of the respective matches is drawn.Results Men’s world-class tennis players hit 87% of all strokes three to eight in the court. The winners of the matches win 4,1% more points on average within these strokes. With a frequency of 52% the forehand is the most dominant stroke. 80% of the strokes are placed longer than the service line, 59% in the outer zones next to the singles side lines, 61% to the backhand side of the opponent and 71% outside the “red zone”(Schönborn, 2008). The biggest difference between winners and losers can be found in the placement to the outer zones (winners 3,9% > losers). Discussion For the first time the presented study shows the high quality of the placement, frequency and success rate of the strokes three to eight in men’s world-class tennis. LiteratureWeber, K., Exler, T., Marx, A., Pley, C., Röbbel, S. & Schäffkes C. (2010). Schnellere Aufschläge, kürzere Ballwechsel und höherer Zeitdruck für Grundschläge in der Tennis-Weltspitze. Leistungssport, 5, 36-42.Schönborn, R. (2008). Tennis Techniktraining (3. überarbeitete Auflage). Aachen: Meyer & Meyer