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: 70%
Rally lengths are normally broken down in segments of four shots: 1 to 4, 5 to 8, etc. We all know that the first 4 shots are the dominant rally length at all levels, followed by the 5 to 8 range. A closer look at this segment reveals an interesting fact.
Two thirds of these points happen in the 5 to 6 range. On average, 70% of all points are done within 6 shots.
Here is a breakdown using two shot segments.
Point of the Week
There are two rally length “philosophies”.
- The one we use (and more logical to most players) is “stroke count”, meaning contact with the ball. So an ace and a double fault both count as a rally length of 1. A return winner or error would have a rally length of 2. Rally lengths would start with 1 to 4.
- The other philosophy, and one adopted by ATP a while ago, uses “bounce count”. An ace would count 1, but a double fault would count 0. Even rally lengths are won by the returner, while odd rallies are won by the server. Rally lengths start with 0 to 4 in this case.
Photo of the Week
Madison Keys is into the Indian Wells quarterfinals. Here is a look at her serve.
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