Tennis Doubles development: Two historical snapshots show enormous tactical changes at the professional level over 20 years

Abstract

We aimed to compare tactical characteristics in professional men´s tennis doubles by notational analysis of two historical samples of matches collected at least 20 years apart. Samples were taken either between 1985 and 1990 (D_<1990: 57 matches, 9.305 points, 34.428 strokes) or in 2011 (D_>2010: 8 matches, 1.002 points, 4.297 strokes) during official ATP tournaments. Players were internationally ranked (D_<1990: 76 ± 89; D_>2010: 102 ± 91) and all matches were played on clay courts following ITF rules. Notational analysis was done by tagging video recordings following the same self-programmed notation software model. Absolute and percentage numbers of stroke rates, winners, and errors as well as specific tactics for services (e. g. Serve & Volley), returns (e. g. Chip & Charge), volleys and groundstrokes (e. g. positioning) were analysed. Coding was done by two experienced tennis coaches. Interrater reliability was calculated by Cohen ́s Kappa and items with r < 0.9 were excluded. Differences between D_<1990 and D_>2010 were calculated by independent t-tests. Significance level was set at p<0.05. Rally length (3.7±0.3 vs. 4.2±0.5 strokes per point, p<0.001) increased significantly from D_<1990 to D_>2010. The percentage of serves (32.5±3.9 vs. 23.8±3.5 %) and volleys (25.1±4.0 vs. 17.3±5.7 %) decreased while the percentage of groundstrokes increased over time (8.8±3.6 vs. 26.9±7.0 %) (p<0.001). Serve & Volley application was reduced to one third in D_>2010 (98.7±2.0 % vs 33.9±33.4 %) with a high individual variation. Positioning of Returns (more often behind the baseline) and volleys (shorter distance to the net) changed in D_>2010 (p<0.001). Tactical characteristics in men´s tennis doubles completely changed within a time frame of 20 years mainly attributed to a decreased Serve & Volley application from most but not from all double players. The current variability in technical and tactical demands must be considered by individualized coaching guidelines.