Tennis News: July 4, 2022
Iga Swiatek to host a charity event for humanitarian relief in Ukraine. Wimbledon marches on with stories that bear an undercurrent of war, politics, andRead More
Wimbledon Confidential
In case it isn’t obvious by now, I am fascinated with the organizational dynamics of the tennis industry. When I recently stumbled across a bookRead More
Clutch Points
A research group has defined a new metric that identifies “clutch points” in tennis. At first glance it is a new way to understand matches and appears to provide new insight. Tennis matches hinge on big moments and carrying those points are crucial to winning. Some players are clearly better at these pivotal points than others. This new metric provides a fascinating way to break down and examine match play.
Tennis News: June 27, 2022
Recapping the top political stories in tennis this year. The WTA tour receives overtures from the sponsor of the LIV golf tour. The news this week is also heavy on analysis with great stories about “clutch” points and economic disparities in tennis.
Voluntary Consolation… If You Insist
One of the primary arguments that people make in support of voluntary consolation is that it prevents players from having to wait around a day (or more) before back draw play begins. That line of reasoning conveniently neglects to consider that a traditional voluntary consolation draw requires ALL the players to wait even longer than the worst case scenario from the traditional First Match Loser’s Consolation (FMLC) back draw. You cannot make a voluntary consolation draw without knowing the exact number of players that will elect to participate.
1 responseVoluntary Consolation and Mosquito Bites
Voluntary consolation is a variation of the First Match Loser’s Consolation (FMLC) draw. In that format, players that lose their first match have the option of signing up to participate in a back draw. Participation is not mandatory and the player has to explicitly opt-in. A significant number of players and organizers believe that voluntary consolation would be a good thing for tournament tennis. They’re wrong. Voluntary consolation is like scratching a mosquito bite. It feels like the right thing to do in the moment, but ultimately it only makes the problem worse.
1 responseHappy Father’s Day / The Trophy Husband
Happy Father’s Day! To commemorate the annual celebration of fatherhood this year, I am sharing the story of the Trophy Husband. I hope that the Trophy Husband and all the other tennis playing dads out there enjoy their special day. By that I mean, please grill something for us before you head to the courts today.
2 responsesSurvey Says…
The email from the USTA contains a link and the following text: “Thank you for playing in the USTA National Women’s 35, 45, 55, 65, 75, 85 & 90 Clay Court Championships in March. Would you please take a moment and share your experience?” I didn’t complete my survey until this week because I actually got tripped up by one of the questions.
Dear John: The John Lloyd Autobiography
Before reading this book, if I had been asked to write a wikipedia-style biography of John Lloyd, it would start out something like this: “John Lloyd is a former professional tennis player who is best known for once being married to Chris Evert.” When Lloyd recently released this autobiography, my first thought was concern that it might be filled with sordid and salacious assertions about Chrissie in an attempt to cash in and sell more copies. As it turns out, those worries were completely unfounded.
2 responsesWhen Ball Mark Inspection is Allowed
Ball mark inspection by the chair umpire only applies to tennis matches played on clay courts. Additionally, the rules stipulate the times when ball mark inspection is allowed to occur. The clay court inspection procedures also provide the foundational philosophy underpinning modern electronic line challenge systems.
3 responses