Every week, Tennis Analytics dives deep into the data, bringing you a stat of the week to help you understand tennis better and become a little smarter.
April is conference month for college tennis. This month we will take a look at some brand new college data from a study by Warren Pretorius (Tennis Analytics) and Craig O’Shannessy (Brain Game Tennis). They’ve compiled this data and more in their online course A Million Points of College Tennis (coupon code “StatOfTheWeek” for 20% off).
Stat of the Week: 66%
These numbers are almost identical to the men (see last week’s Stat of the Week). Match winners win ⅔ of all net appearances for NCAA Women!
All players won 61% at the net which is still a really good number. If you do ANYTHING on a tennis court that wins you 61% of total points, keep doing it as often as you can!
It’s also important to note that match losers were still well above 50% going to the net in the women’s game.
Net Points Won
- 2019 US Open Women = 65%
- Collegiate Women (2015-2020) = 61%
Match winners ended up winning 66% at net, which is basically the same as the US Open. Going to the net to finish the point ticks all the boxes on the pro tour and also in collegiate tennis.
Point of the Week
Many players avoid going to the net because they are afraid of getting passed. But, this is inevitable.
Success at the net is winning more points than your opponent. For every 10 net appearances, if your opponent passes you four times, and you win six times… keep doing it!
A lot of the time you won’t even have to hit a volley. The pressure is enough to draw a passing shot error. It is not easy to hit a passing shot.
Here is a great tip on getting to the net efficiently by Andy Fitzell, from Great Base Tennis.
Photo of the Week
Key positions of Nick Kyrgios’ dropshot.
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