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.
Stat of the Week: 7%
After reaching world #1 in 2017, Garbine Muguruza slid to #36 in the 2019 rankings, her lowest in the last 6 years. But with her convincing performance at the 2021 WTA Finals, she is back in the top 5, ending this year at #3.
In Guadalajara, she took care of business on first serve and return. She won 72% of all first serve points and then backed this up on her return game to hold her opponents to 65%. This 7% difference was a major factor in her winning the 2021 year-end trophy.
Other match metrics were much more even.
Point of the Week
Both Muguruza and her opponents at the WTA Finals – the very best players in the world – won less than half of their second points (Muguruza 48%, Opponents 45%).
Even at the highest levels of the women’s game, the second serve is generally a liability. If the first serve does not go in, the returner has the advantage. Great players rarely miss returns, especially on second serves, and often get the server on defense for the serve +1 shot.
Sign up for a 5 Match Player Package before 12/31/2021 and we will include a detailed Scouting Report with your aggregate match data. Especially Serve and Return.
Photo of the Week
Qiang Wang’s forehand groundstroke.
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