Grand Slam Tennis Research Articles

An application of clustering to classify movement patterns in men’s professional grand slam hard court tennis

ABSTRACT The movement cycles from Australian Open player tracking data were analysed using the Lloyd k-means clustering algorithm to classify movement patterns that exist in men’s grand-slam tennis. The elbow criterion method identified six movement patterns, and the k-means model allocated each movement cycle into one of these discrete groups. A description of each movement pattern is presented, outlining three inner range and three end range movement patterns, which are distinguishable by distance, direction, time pressure, and starting location. These findings provide objective details for coaches and athletes to understand tennis movement, overcoming vague descriptions of the inner range and end range in tennis vernacular. The amalgam of distance, direction, and time pressure demands that categorise the six movement patterns can enhance the specificity of training drill design and movement evaluation. Furthermore, evaluating the movement patterns a player typically elicits during match-play can inform typical load exposure and be useful in load monitoring practices. Additionally, understanding the prevalence of movement patterns in a typical match may help understand the strategic approaches players use during match-play.

Navigating the Court: A Comparison of Distance Demands between Sexes in Grand Slam Tennis.

This study analysed critical movement demands of tennis match-play to better inform contemporary approaches to athlete preparation and training. HawkEye data from matches during the 2021 and 2022 Australian Open were utilised. Distance was aggregated for movement cycles, points, games, sets, and matches, alongside total shots played. Data was collated for males (best-of-five sets) and females (best-of-three sets) allowing comparisons both within and between sexes. Overall, no differences within sexes were evident for total distance, however males traversed further per match than females (MDE = 809 ± 139m, ES = 0.86). Female players travelled further in their deciding (third) sets compared to set 1 (ES = 0.28) and while this effect wasn't as discernible for males, the deciding (fifth) set showed some evidence of elevated distance requirements and variability. Between sexes, only female set 3 was different to male set 3 (ES = 0.29). Female and male tiebreak games (i.e. game 13) required players travel further distance compared to other games (ES = ~1.45). Between sex differences were observed for tiebreak games compared to games 1 to 12 (female ES = 1.36 and male ES = 1.53). Players from both sexes generally covered similar distances during points and movement cycles, with between-shot distances of 4.2m-4.5m, notably longer than previous reports. Further, total shots and total match distance (r > 0.97; p < 0.01) shared similar linear relationships. These results highlight that the between shot or movement cycle demands of professional hard court tennis are substantially higher than described in the literature (Roetert et al., 2003). The findings also reveal competitiveness as a key influence on set level distance demands during professional tennis match-play, a consideration in player preparation programs.

Understanding the 2021 Australian Open through an Elias lens: a case of tension, conflict and athlete outsiders

The 2021 Australian Open was like no other previous edition of the Grand Slam tennis event. Australia had virtually closed its borders due to the COVID-19 pandemic and had cut itself off from the rest of the world. Accordingly, this global event was not met with the usual enthusiasm from locals, who instead were concerned that it could increase the transmission of COVID-19 in the community. By drawing on the theories of Norbert Elias (1976, 1978) this analysis interprets the complex, evolving, dynamic environment in which the 2021 Australian Open was held. We also attempt to understand how COVID-19 intensified the ways in which Melburnians identified with and related to each other through shared experiences, and how those who displayed characteristics that did not align with their experiences and beliefs, including some of the international tennis players arriving for the Australian Open, were considered ‘outsiders,’ in constant tension with ‘insiders.’

Psychological pressure and compounded errors during elite-level tennis

ObjectivesIn the context of Grand Slam tennis, we sought to examine how situational pressure and prior errors can disrupt subsequent performance in elite performers. MethodsA retrospective analysis of more than 650,000 points across 12 Grand Slam tennis tournaments from 2016 to 2019 was conducted to identify pressurised in-game moments and unforced errors. A scoring system was used to index situational pressure based on the current match situation (e.g., break points, stage of the match) on a point-by-point basis. The occurrence of performance errors was identified based on double faults and unforced errors, as instances of controllable mistakes. ResultsA mixed effects logistic regression model revealed that an increase in the pressure index (a 1–5 score) significantly increased the probability of a performance error (ps < .001), as did an error on the preceding point (OR = 1.2, 95%CI [1.17, 1.23], p < .001). A multiplicative effect of pressure and prior errors also emerged, as the negative impact of prior errors on performance was greater when situational pressure was already high, in line with the predictions of Attentional Control Theory: Sport (ACTS). Analyses of the distribution of winners and unforced errors across individual players revealed that winning players were as susceptible to pressure and prior errors as losing players. ConclusionsThese findings extend our understanding of how ongoing feedback from prior mistakes may further exacerbate the effects of pressure on performance.

The ebbs and flows of green waves: environmental sustainability in Grand Slam tennis

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to examine the structure and scope of environmental sustainability efforts of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments as communicated via their websites.Design/methodology/approachA qualitative content analysis methodology guided the study. To accomplish the goal of the study, the researchers analyzed each tournament's website and each venue's website to document the environmental initiatives outlined on these pages.FindingsResults indicated Grand Slam events focus primarily on energy and water conservation initiatives, increasing sustainable food choices and improving spectators' knowledge about environmental sustainability. Most sustainability programs fell into the first wave of sustainability efforts indicating that formalized strategic planning is largely missing.Practical implicationsBy examining how Grand Slam events utilize their webpages to promote environmental sustainability, implications are drawn for not only website content but also actual event initiatives and activities. Pertinent efforts should move from a mere focus on communication to finding actionable solutions built upon the interconnectivity of events with allied sectors and the subsequent forging of cross-industry partnerships.Originality/valueThe findings suggest that Grand Slam tennis events pursue different trajectories in engaging with sustainability. This makes it important to understand in tandem their organizational conduct, strategies and communication practices. To move forward, there is a need to approach sustainability in a more holistic manner. A holistic view of how sport events engage with the environment can reveal causal patterns and points of leverage to use for initiating a change of practice toward adopting environmentally friendly behaviors.

Notational analysis in female grand slam tennis competitions

Grand Slam tennis tournaments are played on different surfaces. The aims of the present study were to analyse the technical differences in the Grand Slam tournaments (Australian Open or AO, Roland Garros or RG, Wimbledon or W, and the United States Open or US), as well as to establish differences between winning and losing players. A total of 580 sets in 248 matches played in Grand Slams between 2017 and 2018 were analysed. To observe differences between the tournaments, a one-way analysis of variance (Kruskal Wallis) with the Bonferroni post-hoc test was performed. Univariate (Wilcoxon test) analysis of data was carried out to show the differences between the winning and losing performances of sets. Players who had more aces, points won on the 1st serve, winning shots and net points won more matches in the AO, W and US than in the RG (p&amp;lt;.05). However, in RG, players won more receiving points (43.56% of the points played) with chances to break the opponents’ service game. The results also showed that the winning players were superior in both service and receiving, and the most influential variables on the outcome of the match were percentage of receiving points won, break points won, and percentage of points won on the first serve. Such knowledge may have implications in the design of appropriate game strategies and specific training sessions to improve performance in professional women’s tennis.

테니스 그랜드슬램 경기분석 자료의 특성 예측

테니스 그랜드슬램 경기분석 자료의 특성 예측

Gender Competitiveness and Predictability, and Prize Money in Grand Slam Tennis Tournaments

Tournament competitiveness and predictability of outcomes are inversely related. We introduce a new measure of competitiveness or predictability using discrepancies between tennis players’ seed values and attained ranks in all rounds of the four Grand Slam Tennis Tournaments (GST). Using data from the Association of Tennis Professionals and Women’s Tennis Association, we study gender-differentiated competitiveness or predictability and its dependence on prize money. Men’s GST are less predictable and more competitive than women’s GST. While competitiveness increases with prize money, the increase for women is significantly larger than for men.

Tweet, Set, Match: Negotiating the Boundaries of Digital Technologies in Elite Tennis

This article attempts to examine the highest tier of elite tennis through a technological lens in order to understand the several imbrications of tennis and technology in Grand Slam events. Using qualitative and quantitative methods, this article studies the version of tennis that exists today—replete with RFID chips, screen interfaces, more powerful racquets than ever before and the ubiquity of social media. As the relationship between players and fans, organisers and visitors, and even gameplay and umpiring have evolved to allow the use of several technologies, Grand Slam tennis has embraced the era of social media and technologically mediated sport. This article views this transformation through the lens of Science Technology and Society in order to better understand the influence that technologies have in shaping the relationships between spectators, players, matches, tournaments and indeed the sport itself.

Analysis of Grand Slam Tennis Tournaments by Gender

The aim of this study is to analyze the variables determined in tournaments on different court surfaces by gender. In this research, official websites of 2019 Grand Slam tennis tournaments were used in the category of single men and single women as data collection tool. In the research, winning matches in the American Open and Australian Open played on hard surface (250 single men, 252 single women), the French Open played on clay surface (127 single men, 122 single women) and Wimbledon played on grass surface (127 single men, 126 single women) were analyzed. In these competitions, aces, double fault, win on 1st. serve, win on 2nd. serve, break points, unforced errors, winner, total points, fastest service and match duration were evaluated. SPSS 22.0 statistical software was used to evaluate the data and to find the calculated values. Since the data showed normal distribution, t test was used in independent groups and the level of significance was accepted as 0.05. When the variables taken into consideration were compared by gender, there was no statistically significant difference between men and women only in the double fault variable in the clay court (p> 0.05), whereas all other variables were significantly different in all courts (p <0.05). It has been determined that women's double fault, break points and unforced errors on hard and grass court, break points and unforced errors performance on clay court are better than man athletes. As a result, it can be said that the selected variables are affected by the gender factor on all court surfaces.

Exploring the Importance of Players’ Characteristics and Performance on Serve and Return of Serve in Winning the Women’s Singles Grand Slam Tennis Tournaments

Sports analytics has become very popular in recent years. Many researchers have been using the tools and technique to study tennis player performance in various aspects during matches. However, much of the studies were performed on male players while much less attention were made on female players. This study explores the female players’ characteristics and serve performance that leads to winning matches in women’s singles 2018 Grand Slam tennis tournaments. Using data provided by the official website of the Women Tennis Association (WTA), 1016 single matches in all four 2018 Grand Slam Tournaments were analysed to evaluate winning traits in tennis specifically looking at the two most important strokes in tennis which are the serve and return of serve. Additionally, other personal player characteristics that would influence the match outcomes were also evaluated. To achieve the objectives of the study, odds ratio and chi-square test were used to compare between the match winner and match loser. The study revealed that percentage of first serve return won (PFSRW) has the highest odds ratio value (OR=1.263) followed by the percentage of first serve won (PFSW) with odds ratio equal to 1.244. These showed that having a good first serve, plays an important factor in increasing the winning odds as compared to second serve either in serve or in return of serve. This study also reveals that a taller player had the advantage over a shorter player for faster serve speed (p-value<0.05).

Assessment of elite junior tennis serve and return practice: A cross-sectional observation

ABSTRACTPractice tasks that more closely represent the demands of competition are thought to augment skill learning and transfer. This study observed the serve and return performances of junior grand slam tennis and used this benchmark to evaluate the representativeness of serve and return practice among elite junior tennis players. The serve and return behaviour of 26 junior tennis players competing in junior Australian Open grand slam matches were observed and compared with the serve and return practice behaviours of 12 elite junior tennis players over an 8-week period. The variables measured included the number of serves/returns landing in, serve/return type, serve direction and the variability of practised skills. Serve and return practice contributed to <13% of total practice time, with each skill predominately practised in isolation. Compared to the matchplay benchmark, players typically had less success (i.e., fewer serves/returns landing in the court), were less variable in shot selection and hit fewer serves to the extremities of the service box. As task representativeness increased fewer differences between practice and matchplay were observed. Tennis serve and return practice could be improved by better simulating specific competition affordances, providing greater opportunities to practice serve/return tactics and/or increasing the variability of practised skills.

The Justice of the Grand Slam Tennis Tournaments on the Basis of Draw, Competition Format System and Final Result: a Case Study of the US Open 2017 Men’s Singles Tournament

Abstract The tennis Grand Slam tournaments play a key role among the major sport events. Sport has also got a social interest to strive for justice. Is the main draw always fair? Is the competition format system right? Overall: can we achieve a just final result? When answering these questions, we need to focus on the telos of the sport event. Present study shows the relating theories of justice and examines them in connection with the US Open: from the evolutionist conception, through Aristotle’s excellence-based justice theory, to egalitarianism, meritocracy, equity and it also analyses some issues around positive discrimination. The study examines the justice theories of the US Open 2017 Men’s Singles Tournament’s with special focus on the draw, the competition format system and the final result. An important point: we can only talk about justice if it is consistent with the telos of the event – this is an exclusion criterion. In addition to the systematic processing of justice theories, the research is based on the International Tennis Federation’s (ITF) official documents and on the case study: the official competition regulation and final result of the US Open 2017 Tournament. As an outcome of the research, we can conclude that several theories of justice appear in accordance with the telos of the US Open 2017 Tournament. Each element, namely the draw, the competition format system and the final result can be fair, however, they all depend on the applied theory of justice. Which theories should be applied in certain cases and why? The research also confirms that certain theories of justice do not match the telos of the US Open Grand Slam Tournament. These theories cannot be applied in certain cases. For future search areas we can examine other justice theories, or other related tennis event’s justice.

A closer look at the prevalence of time rule violations and the inter-point time in men’s Grand Slam tennis

A closer look at the prevalence of time rule violations and the inter-point time in men’s Grand Slam tennis

Gender Competitiveness and Predictability, and Prize Money in Grand Slam Tennis Tournaments

Tournament competitiveness and predictability of outcomes are inversely related. We introduce a new measure of competitiveness or predictability using discrepancies between tennis players’ seed values and attained ranks in all rounds of the four Grand Slam Tennis Tournaments (GST). Using data from the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) and Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), we study gender-differentiated competitiveness or predictability and its dependence on prize money. Men’s GST are less predictable and more competitive than women’s GST. While competitiveness increases with prize money, the increase for women is significantly larger than for men.

Building brand and fan relationships through social media

PurposeAs the popularity of social media increases, sports brands must develop specific strategies to use them to enhance fan loyalty and build brand equity. The purpose of this paper is to explore how two social media platforms were utilised by the Grand Slam tennis events to achieve branding and relationship marketing goals.Design/methodology/approachA content analytic design was employed to examine Twitter and Facebook posts from the official accounts during, and post-, each respective event.FindingsBoth sites were utilised to cultivate long-term relationships with fans and develop brand loyalty, rather than to undertake short-term marketing activations. However, these sites appear to serve a different purpose, and therefore unique strategies are required to leverage opportunities afforded by each. Interestingly, brand associations were utilised more frequently during the post-event time period.Practical implicationsThis study offers practitioners with useful insight on branding and relationship-building strategies across two social platforms. These results suggest that strategies appear dependent on the event, timeframe and specific platform. Moreover, the events’ differences in post use and focus may also indicate some differences related to event branding in an international context. Furthermore, sport organisations should look to leverage creative strategies to overcome limitations that platform-specific functionality may impose.Originality/valueThis study offers unique insights brand-building efforts in an international event setting, which differ in a range of contextual factors that impact on social media utilisation.

Heat stress incidence and matchplay characteristics in Women's Grand Slam Tennis

ObjectivesTo explore the relationship of wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT) on heat-related incidents and alterations in matchplay and behavioural characteristics in women’s tennis at the Australian Open. DesignFrom 360 main draw Australian Open women's matches (2014-2016), data describing on-court calls for trainers, doctors, cooling devices and water, post match medical consults and matchplay characteristics were collated. MethodsData were referenced against estimated WBGT and categorised into standard zones (zone 5: >32.3°C, zone 4: 30.1–32.2°C, zone 3: 27.9–30°C, zone 2: 22.3–27.9°C, zone 1: <22.2°C). Generalized linear models assessed the association of WBGT zone on heat-related medical incidences, court call-outs and match characteristics. ResultsWith an increased estimated WBGT zone, there was an increase in total trainer calls (+19.5%/zone; p=0.019), total doctor calls (+54.1%; p<0.001), total calls for heat related incidents (+55.9%; p<0.001), and cooling devices (+31.4%; p<0.001) calculated from the regression slope. When match characteristics were adjusted for match quality, significant decreases (p<0.001) in the number of winners and net approaches and increase in double faults were associated with increased estimated WBGT zone. ConclusionsAn association between higher estimated WBGT and medical callouts (heat and non-heat related) was evident, with an increased call rate >32°C WBGT, despite no heat-related retirements. As estimated WBGT increased, the number of winners and net approaches were reduced, while double faults increased, particularly >30°C WBGT. Accordingly, the manner in which female players manage and play in the heat during women’s Grand Slam tennis appears to change at ≈30°C WBGT.

Heat stress incident prevalence and tennis matchplay performance at the Australian Open

ObjectivesTo examine the association of wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT) with the occurrence of heat-related incidents and changes in behavioural and matchplay characteristics in men’s Grand Slam tennis. DesignOn-court calls for trainers, doctors, cooling devices and water, post-match medical consults and matchplay characteristic data were collected from 360 Australian Open matches (first 4 rounds 2014–2016). MethodsData were referenced against estimated WBGT and categorised into standard zones. Generalised linear models assessed the association of WBGT zone on heat-related medical incidences and matchplay variables. ResultsOn-court calls for doctor (47% increase per zone, p=0.001), heat-related events (41%, p=0.019), cooling devices (53%, p<0.001), and post-match heat-related consults (87%, p=0.014) increased with each rise in estimated WBGT zone. In WBGT’s >32°C and >28°C, significant increases in heat-related calls (p=0.019) and calls for cooling devices (p<0.001), respectively, were evident. The number of winners (−2.5±0.006% per zone, p<0.001) and net approaches (−7.1±0.008%, p<0.001) reduced as the estimated WBGT zone increased, while return points won increased (1.75±0.46, p<0.001). When matches were adjusted for player quality of the opponent (Elo rating), the number of aces (5±0.02%, p=0.003) increased with estimated WBGT zone, whilst net approaches decreased (7.6±0.013%, p<0.001). ConclusionsIncreased estimated WBGT increased total match doctor and trainer consults for heat related-incidents, post-match heat-related consults (>32°C) and cooling device callouts (>28°C). However, few matchplay characteristics were noticeably affected, with only reduced net approaches and increased aces evident in higher estimated WBGT environments.

Is it defensible for women to play fewer sets than men in grand slam tennis?

Lacking in the philosophy of sport is discussion of the gendered numbers of sets played in Grand Slam tennis. We argue that the practice is indefensible. It can be upheld only through false beliefs about women or repressive femininity ideals. It treats male tennis players unfairly in forcing them to play more sets because of their sex. Its ideological consequences are pernicious, since it reinforces the respective identifications of the female and male with physical limitation and heroism. Both sexes have compelling reason to reject the practice.

Sports results creating tourism value

The purpose of this article is to examine the effect of a tennis player’s performance in the Grand Slams on the market value of a leading airline from the player’s country. The analysis is applied to the Spanish airline, Iberia, and the Spanish tennis player, Rafael Nadal. It shows that his victories in the matches of the Grand Slam tennis tournaments led to an increase in the market value of Iberia. The result is confirmed by both the victory itself and the difference between sets in favor and sets against in the match.