Stats and Sensibility: Three Ways to Rethink Serve Stats

  I decided to wander over to the ATP World Tour website for no other reason than to see if the leaders in the various statistical categories were the leaders in the rankings. By and large what I saw was what I expected to see. There were a few oddities there at the top of some of the categories, for sure, but for the most part the top players in the game were the statistical leaders as well. Do the statistics really tell the whole tale of greatness?... Read More

A Few Early-Round Musings from Wimbledon

With the second round closing up today at Wimbledon and the start of third-round matches, we’re nearing the first weekend with the brackets and the shape of this year’s slice of history beginning to crystallize out of the raw materials of pre-match expectation. The first two rounds are the place where we discover the very best that tennis has to offer… and bring out the very worst for those who fail to deliver on expectation. With... Read More

2010 U.S. Open – Men’s Preview

With the USTA releasing the 32 seeds for the men’s draw of the last Grand Slam tournament of the 2010 season, it is time to discuss just who might emerge victorious at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York when the final is played on Sunday 12 September. The most glaring omission, of course, is defending champion Juan Martin del Potro. The Argentine slugger knocked off Nadal and Federer in his semifinal and championship matches... Read More