While attending the ITA All-American Championships in Tulsa, I watched over 50 different matches and engaged with over a dozen coaches over six days. A lot of the discussion revolved around the change in ball, from the Wilson US Open to the Dunlop Championship ball. A large percentage of the coaches believed that the balls were changing the dynamics of the point, forcing the player to play longer, prolonged rallies.
I was not present at the Women’s All-American in Cary, but have spoken with a few of the women’s coaches who didn’t see as big of a difference in the play.
Our team looked at over 40 matches from the Men’s All-American Championships, totaling over 4,000 points. We compared this data to historical collegiate data from the last two years, including over 25,000 points.
Observations from Men’s All-American Championships:
🎾 Average rallies were 1.3 shots longer.
🎾 5% more of total points played consisted of rallies lasting 9 shots or more.
🎾 Players won 5% fewer points on their first serves, indicating fewer unreturned serves and free points.
🎾 Players held serve in 7% fewer games.
Given the extensive data analyzed, we are confident in the accuracy and reliability of our findings. These insights offer a clear comparison between current All-American data and historical data.
To provoke thought and discussion, consider the following questions:
🎾 Do you believe that the change in ball is the cause of these performance differences?
🎾 Will these findings impact your training methods?
🎾 Can these changes affect player health and well-being due to increased physical demands and volume?
We would love to hear from you. Share your thoughts on this newsletter with us, and we’ll feature responses in our next edition!
