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.
August is error month.
Did you know most tennis points end in an error?
Every Wednesday this month, we’ll bring you new data on the errors that occur in tennis.
Stat of the Week: 67%
Today, we’re looking at return errors.
67% of return errors against 2nd serves are hit out, with 33% in the net. That’s two of every three 2nd serve return errors hit long or wide.
When returning 1st serves, 60% are missed out, with 40% in net.
Here is the data.
You can see that at the higher levels, players tend to miss returns in the net slightly more often. This may be due to the vast improvement on the serve as players develop.
Point of the Week
The returner is generally more reactive on 1st serve, and more proactive or aggressive facing 2nd serves. Perhaps this is why we see a higher percentage of return errors in the net on first serves.
We also know that the return is the least practiced shot in tennis, despite being one of the most important. Spending a proportionate amount of time in practice is key to improving this shot.
The return is arguably the most important shot in tennis and separates great from good players.
Case in point: The best server in the world is rarely #1.
The server has the choice of spin, pace and placement, and also gets 2 chances. The returner gets only once shot.
So, how good is your return?
One way to find out is to get your match tagged and compare your stats to the stats for your skill level. Purchase one of our Player Packages to get your match stats.
Photo of the Week
Sam Stosur’s forehand with key positions.
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