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Murray Australian Open 2019
Tennis News

Hardest, fastest: New Player Analysis


GIG, who are developing a range of innovative metrics for player performance, analysed data from Australian Open matches between 2014 and 2016 to gauge the average amount of effort each player puts in per point.

Considering the energy expended per shot and the average number of shots per rally, Murray topped the rankings for both men and women with an average work-per-point score of 2218.5 Joules (J) for the 2488 points played over the past three years at Melbourne Park,

The fastest players around the court were Novak Djokovic and Simona Halep. According to the analysis, Novak Djokovic registered a peak speed of 36 kph. (Usain Bolt reached a peak speed of 44.7 kph during his world record 100-metre sprint in 2009). Simona Halep is the fastest woman on the circuit with a peak speed of 23 kph.

The Tennis Australia Game Insight Group (GIG) is headed up by leading sports scientist Dr Machar Reid and American data scientist Dr Stephanie Kovalchik. Using advanced tracking data from the Australian Open and the latest hardware and software, the team has come up with some interesting stats which they think will change the way we see the game, and how the game is talked about. They say it’s not just about first serve percentages and break point conversions.

“There’s an opportunity, as other sports have done, to capitalise on the step change we’re experiencing in data and technology,” said Dr Reid. “This journey is in its absolute infancy for us a sport, but it will help the game – and more importantly the players – in more ways than many of us can imagine is possible right now.”

There’s also a new point-by-point assessment of the changing probability of a player winning a match in the new Win Prediction feature. So if stats are your thing, keep your eyes peeled on this new analysis and see what you think – is it good for the game?

To find out more head to ausopen.com

 


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Tim Farthing, Tennishead Editorial Director & Owner, has been a huge tennis fan his whole life. He's a tennis journalist and entrepreneur as well as playing tennis to a national standard. He also helps manage his local club and volunteers for his local tennis organisation. He's a specialist in content about the administration of professional tennis and tennis coaching for all levels.