Tennis Analytics: Understanding Modern Tennis Through Data

Getting lost in the ocean of statistics and data related to modern tennis can be pretty easy. In fact, we’d say all sports suffer from this to some extent. That’s not to say analytics aren’t vital, because they are. Top professional tennis players and their teams will use them to develop strategies and prepare for matchups at the elite end of the sport. By crunching the numbers and understanding what you need to look for in modern tennis analytics, you can begin to build your knowledge of the sport and how performance and live game performance embody themselves in data evidence.

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Leveraging data in tennis gambling markets

Knowing how to leverage this information to build your tennis knowledge is something many fans have in their arsenal. Once you know how the data looks in real-time and how it applies to the big games, you can start to look into other areas. Tennis betting provides a potential way to leverage this data, but knowing what to look for is critical.

Taking a look at one of the world’s most extensive online sportsbook, bet365, they have plenty of information for those who bet on tennis. If you open up their app and place a wager on any tennis game, you can seek out information about the number of serves and often stream the games — depending on whether it’s a Grand Slam and where you reside. bet365 tennis betting is considered the gold standard, but you must understand the sport and how the data works. Once you do, you can explore all the markets they have to offer.

Important information to consider in modern tennis

Tennis almost suffers from an embarrassment of riches if you’re a data geek. You can browse colossal amounts of data. It’s not just in-play or during any other type of wager. A simple internet search brings up mountains of information, and while it’s all relevant to the game, not all of it is necessary just to enhance your basic understanding.

It’s a combination of the two things, and while data helps people to break down the facts, it’s better to supplement it by watching the players and seeing how the information plays out in real-time. Let’s look at the main elements that help to build a broader picture and understanding of modern tennis:

Head-to-head records

Solo sports bear some similarities with team sports, but head-to-head records take on a different role. On paper, tennis head-to-head comparisons might just look like a collection of numbers and shot stats, but they can give you a better insight into a player’s mentality and the sort of players they struggle against.

Although rankings are another piece of data that can provide fascinating insight, head-to-head comparisons can highlight which players can be a bit of a bogeyman or woman. Players who routinely rank outside the top 10 can sometimes trouble elite players due to doing things exceptionally well that can play on the weaknesses of some of the top-ranked players.

Again, this is information that is available in data. While it might not constantly cause an upset, this is just one nuance that can emerge from having a look at head-to-head comparisons, especially on certain types of surfaces.

Injuries

Tennis takes a brutal toll on the body, as Rafael Nadal knows all too well due to the extensive damage his knees have taken over the years. While Nadal’s generational talents undeniably made him one of the greats of his era, his weakness and long list of injuries meant he would occasionally lose to players who were not really on his level as he struggled to retain Grand Slam fitness.

This is a testament to how good he was, given that he’s undoubtedly the greatest clay court player that’s ever lived. However, especially on hard courts or grass, he would come up short against players who were not as talented because his body had been going through so much turmoil.

Even at the age of 37, Nadal is still holding his own against the next generation of greats, such as fellow Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz. Time waits for no man though, and it feels like we’re a couple of years away from seeing the end of a truly remarkable career.

Surface kings and queens

Nadal, rightly, is the King of Clay — a moniker he’s held since he burst onto the scene two decades ago. His fellow elites, Federer and Djokovic, are considered the elites of grass and hardcourt, respectively. Roger’s dominance in the mid-2000s was akin to Nadal’s on clay.

Clay courts are much easier to design and maintain, especially in hotter climates like Nadal’s native Spain. However, Nadal’s dominance was on a completely different level from his peers. The data actually backs this up, and if you didn’t watch the game but simply broke down the win and loss record of these three between 2003 and 2018 — it becomes quickly evident just how far ahead of the competition they were.

Grand Slam performance

While some players might pull off a shocking result or two throughout their careers, there are more significant pieces of data that help to build a strong picture , with Grand Slam performance arguably being the most effective.

Throughout a dozen or more Grand Slams, it becomes clear which players can up their game and their mentality for the year’s biggest games, and who can bring their A-game when it matters most. The true greats of any era can often do it on many different surfaces, with Djokovic, Nadal and Federer all winning multiple Grand Slams on various surfaces. While they might have their preferred surface or a Grand Slam that brings out the best in them, the true greats can continuously reach the finals of multiple Grand Slams and adapt accordingly.

Player-specific data

For those with an intricate knowledge of the sport, technical player-specific analysis can provide you with all the tools to understand what a player does well and where or how they can improve. The power of the first serve, how often a player faults, how many tie breaks they win and how many five-setters they end up in are all valuable information to understand the modern game.

Although other elements we’ve discussed are also player-specific, deconstructing the actual performance of how the player approaches the game, their attack and their defense is another fascinating tool that helps paint a picture of how they operate on the court.

Conclusion

All sports now have the added advantage of a mountain of information online. Social media sites like X (formerly Twitter) and YouTube are awash with many experts and bullet-pointed lists of stats. While it’s always good to corroborate this data and check sources, it shows how engaged tennis fans are and how number-crunching can help stir up continued interest.

As technology improves, AI, video analysis and slow-motion replays all help analysts and ex-professionals break down the sport more comprehensively. Expect to see data performing a pivotal role in analysis with an increasing number of AI tools permeating the world of technical analysis, providing a broader picture of what’s happening during the big games and providing more clarity to fans and analysts.

Tennis Analytics: Understanding Modern Tennis Through Data

Leveraging data in tennis gambling markets