Abstract
Duration of a tennis match can reach several hours, especially at grand-slam tournaments. Therefore players need to be in great physical condition, as fatigue can appear during long matches.
Also the ball travels very fast from the opponent and the player has only a short time to hit the ball back. The aim is to find out the rally pace and its development during particular sets in five set matches at Australian Open 2017.
We analyzed 5 five set matches. The mean players' ATP ranking was M = 40,5 +- 39,5.
The results showed that the fastest rally pace occurred during the first set M = 1,19 +- 0,03 s. The rally pace was significantly faster in the second set compared to the fifth set (p = 0,04).
Also the work/rest ratio was significantly different between the fourth and fifth set (p < 0,05). The mean number of strokes in the rally reached 4,8 +- 0,3; the mean rally time was 5,9 +- 0,4 s; the mean time between the points reached 21,6 +- 0,9 s; and the work/rest ratio was 1:3,7 +- 0,2.
Since the start of the match, the rally pace is slightly slowing down, this can be noticed mainly in the fourth and fifth set. Similarly, the time between the points is increasing in these last two sets in the five set matches.
This information can be useful for players and coaches.