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.
For January, in anticipation of the 2021 Australian Open, we will look at some of the favorites on both men’s and women’s sides to see what separates them from the field. Findings are based on matches that we have charted during 2020.
Stat of the Week: 12%
Playing on her home turf, world #1 Ashleigh Barty is a firm favorite at the 2021 Australian Open.
The area that Barty eclipses her opponents is on 1st serve points. She is a staggering 12% better than opponents on 1st serve points.
As a result of her 1st strike dominance, most of her rallies (59%) end within 4 shots. Nearly 90% of her points are done within 8 shots.
Barty serves more than twice the number of aces than her opponents, and concedes far fewer double faults.
Point of the Week
At all levels of the game, and regardless of surface, shorter rallies dominate.
Consistency though, develops confidence. If you are good at longer rallies, then you are probably going to be good at the shorter ones also. But, special emphasis should be placed on developing the 2 shots that you will start every rally with: the serve and the return.
As we see with Ash Barty, these 2 shots set the stage for success.
To track your serve and return numbers, film your match, and purchase a player package.
Photo of the Week
Johanna Konta’s forehand.
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