Seeing Red Across the Net

The World Cup knockout rounds produced some very exciting matches, many of which were decided by penalty kicks. That sparked me to remember a research paper published in 2013 that the goalkeeper’s jersey color has an impact on penalty kick performance. Pivoting off this research, I have my own theory that shirt color can also have an impact on tennis matches. It is an oversight that I have never shared this on the blog.

Essentially the study published in Perceptual and Motor Skills reveals that more penalty shots were stopped by goalkeepers when they wore red or yellow than when wearing blue or green. The fact that soccer clubs don’t insist on those colors is suggestive that they don’t buy into the idea. However, even if a person is convinced that jersey color doesn’t make a bit of difference, wearing those colors certainly doesn’t hurt.

The theory is that red and yellow are generally associated with threats. Because our human minds are wired to focus on danger we are psychologically more aware of it. Unfortunately in sports, when we are focused on bad outcomes, it tends to manifest itself. The most succinct tennis example is thinking “don’t miss” right before hitting the ball. We all know that an error is usually forthcoming.

I played an 8.5 USTA mixed match shortly after initially reading that research. The very strong 4.5 male was wearing a bright yellow shirt while his partner was clad in solid black. My partner and I… kept hitting the ball within playable reach of the guy. It is possible that the “don’t hit it there” psychology was in play.

However, I also believe that the color of his shirt influenced our shot selection. My partner and I kept talking about how we always knew exactly where he was on the court but kept losing track of his partner. You can’t hit the ball to a person if you don’t know where they are. That is what happened to us.

Consequently, it is probably a reasonable idea to dress the stronger partner of each doubles team in yellow or red and their partner in black or green. In mixed and combo formats, the difference between the strength of the two players could be profound. I also think that yellow or red for singles play could generate more balls within easy reach.

This research paper also included interesting tidbits from other sports color psychology studies. Athletes wearing black were perceived to be more aggressive. That quality is probably OK for tennis. However, players in black are also regarded as more likely to cheat by both spectators and officials. That’s not cool.

I realize that this idea messes with teams that have uniforms or who prefer color coordinated outfits. However, dressing the stronger player in red or yellow and the weaker player in black might produce a performance advantage. It’s certainly worth a shot.

1. Greenlees, Iain & Eynon, Michael & Thelwell, Richard. (2013). Color of Soccer Goalkeepers’ Uniforms Influences the Outcome of Penalty Kicks. Perceptual and motor skills. 117. 1043-52. 10.2466/30.24.PMS.116.3.