Roland Garros 2017
Sunday Fun Day!
G’day from Paris,
The French Open is the only Grand Slam to start main draw matches on a Sunday. It provides the opportunity for people to come on the weekend and see the best players in the world. Good idea all round!
There were 16 matches scheduled in both the men’s and women’s draws yesterday. One match did not finish, with Steve Johnson leading Yuichi Sugita two sets to one.
So I went and compared last year’s full tournament data to just a handful of matches. There were 27,943 points played in the men’s draw last year, and just 2402 points Sunday. Yesterday represents only 8.6% of total points from last year. Ready for a shock? Here’s the comparison.
MEN Strategy | 2017 | 2016 |
---|---|---|
Baseline Points Won | 48% | 48% |
Net Points Won | 64% | 64% |
And here’s the women’s data
WOMEN Strategy | 2017 | 2016 |
---|---|---|
Baseline Points Won | 48% | 48% |
Net Points Won | 69% | 63% |
Here’s what this means…
These two elements of out game change very little. The baseline has, and always will be, a statistical nightmare for players. It is so hard to create a tactical advantage from the back of the court. It will always remain a huge part of our game, but it’s one of the toughest places to find your edge. Winning anything under 50% of the time will get you nowhere.
I have never seen baseline points won on average be over 50%, and I have never seen net points won be below 60%. These are just universal truths of our sport that we need to embrace for our practice court!
The net is widely regarded as a tough place to win points, but it always delivers on a stats sheet. My recent product, Short Ball Hunter, outlines all of the advantages of the specific strategy of approach & volley.
The next time you hear somebody say that the net is a tough place to win points, just smile… let’s keep it our little secret 🙂
Au Revoir!
Craig