Abstract
Tennis players hit the ball very fast and the incoming ball from the opponent travels very quickly. The player has only a limited time to reach the ball, to take the position and to execute the stoke.
The aim is to compare the rally pace and selected match characteristics at the US Open between the early stage (1st - 4th round) and the final stage (quarterfinal - final). We observed the rally length, point duration, but mainly the rally pace i.e. the ball travel time between the players in the rally.
We analysed 220 points in 11 matches. The results showed that the rally pace in women's matches ranged between 1,37 - 1,57 s.
No significant difference was found between the early stage 1,48 0,07 s and the final stage 1,50 0,06. However, the results contributed to the understanding of the rally pace.
The study introduced a new approach of measuring the rally pace and provided data for coaching practice.