Thirty years ago the difference between tennis tournaments was much greater. Has convergence made the game less interesting?
a few months earlier in the Australian Open on a hard court. Thirty years ago the difference between these tournaments was much greater. Data from the women’s game are patchier but reveal a similar convergence.
Wimbledon remains an outlier. Last year’s final, in which Novak Djokovic won his sixth title, featured 3.7 shots per point, less than in other grand slams in 2021. But that was more than in previous years at Wimbledon. In the 1990s the tennis zeitgeist was to follow the serve to the net and volley the return . Pete Sampras, a master of the technique, won seven Wimbledon titles in the 1990s. Since then, serve-and-volley, which results in shorter rallies, has lost its appeal. Points at Wimbledon now, like elsewhere, are slugfests from the back of the court.
One reason is official intervention. In 2001 Wimbledon changed the variety of grass on its courts but it insists that had no impact on the speed of play. The data suggest that it did: rallies have since got longer. Racquet technology and players’ fitness have also improved, allowing serves to be returned with more zest, imperilling any attempt by players to approach the net.
Has this convergence made tennis less interesting? Perhaps. In Sunday’s men’s final, though, fans will be treated to something different. Nick Kyrgios, who will take on Mr Djokovic, has scant regard for convention. He regularly hits outrageous shots, including a trademark underarm serve through his legs. This week he has even violated Wimbledon’s sacred dress code, by sporting a red cap and red trainers on the hallowed grass.
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