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Here’s a hypothesis for you: First serves are streaky. It seems unquestionably true for amateurs. Our serves start clicking, or more commonly, fall apart entirely. Pros, though, are built different. After untold thousands of serves in practice, they should be steadier. The question, then, is whether they exhibit any streakiness at all, whether one missed … Continue reading The Point After a Second Serve

Is Victoria Mboko a pusher? I was tagged in a Twitter exchange the other day debating that exact question. From watching her play, I would hardly compare her to Ostapenko, but the p-word wouldn’t have come to mind. Rally Aggression Score puts her at +6, on a scale designed to run from -100 to +100. … Continue reading Do Pushers Grow Out Of It?

Felix Auger-Aliassime has earned a reputation as a world-beater on indoor hard courts. He’s no Jannik Sinner–as Sinner reminded him all four times they met last year, twice indoors–but FAA is a fearsome customer against just about anybody else. Last week the Canadian added to his indoor title haul with his second-straight championship in Montpellier. … Continue reading What Does Felix Auger-Aliassime Do So Right On Indoor Hard Courts?

On Saturday, 20-year Sara Bejlek won her biggest title–by far. She had just slipped out of the top 100, so after qualifying for the main draw in Abu Dhabi, she charged past the likes of Jelena Ostapenko and Clara Tauson, then secured the trophy with a 7-6, 6-1 win over almost-top-tenner Ekaterina Alexandrova. It’s tough … Continue reading Defanging the Ball Bashers With Sara Bejlek

It often feels fruitless to pick out the strongest aspects of the Carlos Alcaraz game. (Sinner’s, too, of course.) He is so good at everything that we tend to focus on the same few particularly attention-grabbing attributes. The knee-buckling dropshot, the outrageous will to win (and corresponding fifth-set record), the forehands at full stretch. We … Continue reading Carlos Alcaraz Will Return Your Serve. Good Luck With That.

In Saturday’s Australian Open final, Elena Rybakina won 92 points. Aryna Sabalenka won 92 points. Rybakina won 76% of her first serve points; Sabalenka won 75%. Both players held on to 48% of their seconds. Even their average first serve speeds were nearly identical, Rybakina’s 178 km/h nipping Sabalenka’s 177 km/h. Only a few moments … Continue reading The Rybakina Serves That Tipped the Scale In the Melbourne Final

This post is dedicated to the memory of Damian Kust, tennis journalist and honorary Challenger warrior. He died this month at the age of 26. Whatever it is that makes the Challenger tour compelling, it isn’t just the rising stars. Sure, when a Sinner or a Fonseca tears through the ranks, we tune in. Challenger-level … Continue reading The Challenger Warrior Index (for Damian)

Maybe you’ve seen the videos floating around of 13-year-old Lucas Herrera Sanchez, who hits a forehand on both sides: The replies are fascinating. Responses run the gamut from “Why doesn’t everybody do this?” to “Switching grips will kill him.” Or my favorite: “What if he needs to hit a backhand?” So we’re agreed: It could … Continue reading How Much Would a Second Forehand Be Worth?