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Home , 2017 French Open, Double fault (tennis)

2019 4th International Conference on Education Science and Development (ICESD 2019) ISBN: 978-1-60595-593-3

Statistic Analysis on Techniques Applied by Nadal in 2017 Xin-Yu ZHANG Physical Culture Institute, Leshan Normal University, Leshan, Sichuan, China

Keywords: Nadal, Techniques, Statistic Analysis

Abstract. Focusing on the techniques applied by in 2017 French Open, the study adopts the video observation, document literature, mathematical statistics and contrastive analysis to analyze the techniques of Nadal statistically in order to explore the characteristics and rules of his techniques, helping improve the technical level of the amateur tennis sport and providing a theoretical basis for tennis teaching and training in China.

1. Introduction Rafael Nadal (June 3, 1986 - ) is a Spanish professional tennis player and always serves as a defensive baseliner. He uses his powerful , fast-moving footsteps and strong willpower to keep controlling his opponents and force them to make mistakes. These characteristics make his excellent performance on the red . The most powerful weapon of him is to hit a tennis topspin by using his left hand to finish his racket around his head so as to enhance the spin. During the 2009 , the Tennisplayer, a well-known tennis website in the United States, used high-speed cameras to capture the details of the game and analyzed the techniques used by tennis players from the perspective of biomechanics. The results show that the rotation speed of the ball served by Nadal is 5,000 rpm per minute, significantly higher than that served by other players. In addition, the nearly vertical swing track and extraordinary swing speed of Nadal made his topspin hard for the opponent to exactly catch the placement and hit back even if his opponent receives the ball. The unique way to hit the ball used by Nadal is known as the revolutionary innovation of tennis technique and named “bolo-throw follow-through” by experts. Therefore, in order to improve the tennis technical level in China, it is necessary to make a statistical analysis of the techniques applied by Nadal in tennis games and it’s very important to find out the characteristics and rules of his tennis techniques.

2. Objects and Methods of Study 2.1 Objects of Study The techniques applied by Nadal in 2017 French Open are the objects of the study. 2.2 Methods of Study 1) Document literature The CNKI, related books and scout sports website were referred to for information about games involving Nadal to identify the characteristics and development direction of the techniques applied by Nadal, which provided the literature basis for this study. 2) Video observation By observing the video of Nadal’s performance in the 2017 French Open, the score data of various techniques applied were calculated. 3) Mathematical statistics A mathematical statistics was made on the data recorded in the video. 4) Contrastive analysis Based on the results of mathematical statistics, the various techniques applied by Nadal and other opponents in the game were subject to comparative analysis. 3. Results and Analysis 3.1 Statistic Analysis on Techniques Serve is the most powerful offensive weapon of male professional players and it decides whether the server can get the initiative from the beginning of the game. It is also the key factor to keep the service game, because fighting to keep a service game is an important condition for winning. In professional tennis games, it’s very easy to break a serve if the serve technique is not very good, and it’s impossible to win a game if the opponent’s serve is not broken. According to Table 1, Nadal’s excellent serve techniques are shown. The average first serve success rate is 63% and the average first serve winning rate is 70%. Especially, the first serve winning rate reaches to 83% in the final game against Wawrinka. The average second serve winning rate is 74%. In the Round two against Haase, the second serve winning rate of Nadal is up to 85% while that of Haase is only 48%. Although it’s difficult to serve an in the red clay court where the ball speed is relatively lower, Nadal had served a total of 18 ACEs in the game. This shows that Nadal’s high winning rates of the first serve and the second serve mainly depend on his excellent serve techniques combined with effective tactics which are the main factor in winning the game. Table 1. Data Statistics of Nadal’s Serve Techniques in 7 Rounds of Matches of 2017 French Open. Quarter Semi Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Round 4 Finals Finals Finals The first serve 64% 70% 55% 62% 65% 66% 62% success rate The first serve 67% 76% 76% 69% 47% 71% 83% winning rate The second serve winning 71% 85% 79% 73% 67% 76% 65% rate ACE 1 4 3 4 0 2 4 Double fault 2 1 0 2 0 2 2 3.2 Statistic Analysis on Service Return and Serve Break Techniques In a tennis game, the service return technique is the key to win. If the service return techniques are poor, it will be difficult to get the chance to break the opponent’s serve. If the opponent’s serve can not be broken, the opponent may break our serve. Our service game will be subject to a lot of pressure, thus we will lose the game. Nadal has good service return techniques among active male players. In various professional competitions, he often breaks his opponent’s serve and takes the initiative, which is one of the reasons for his high ranking in the world. According to Table 2, Nadal’s service return success rate is 57% and service break rate is 55% averagely in the 7 rounds of matches of 2017 French Open. In the semi finals against , the service break rate of Nadal is 60% while that of Thiem is only 13% with 47 percentage points higher. The efficient service break technique of Nadal is another important factor to win the match. Table 2. Data Statistics of Nadal’s Service Return and Serve Break Techniques in 7 Rounds of Matches of 2017 French Open. Quarter Semi Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Round 4 Finals Finals Finals Service return 56% 42% 63% 53% 71% 49% 69% success rate Service break 44% 50% 50% 39% 100% 60% 46% rate

3.3 Statistic Analysis on Net Shot Techniques The net shot is an important technique in tennis sport, playing a critical role in tennis games. The net shot technique is often used in games and is more aggressive when given the chance to get in front of the net. Net shot is not only a separate technique, but also contains tactical combinations, being one factor for wining or losing points in the whole tactics system. Nadal is a defensive and counter-offensive player, but he will give his opponent a fatal shot decisively when given a chance to get in front of the net. Table 3 shows the net shot success rate of Nadal in the game which is up to 69% averagely. In Round 3 against , the opponent’s net shot success rate is 0% while that of Nadal is 67%. Nadal won the game with ease. It can be seen that Nadal’s net shot technique is also worth learning. Table 3. Data Statistics of Nadal’s Net Shot Techniques in 7 Rounds of Matches of 2017 French Open. Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Round 4 Quarter Finals Semi Finals Finals Net shot success rate 67% 68% 67% 61% 83% 64% 73% 3.4 Statistic Analysis on Active Scoring and Unforced Errors Winner means active scoring or aggressive scoring. It refers to a ball that is served with a lot of force or from an artful angle so that the opponent can’t receive it or even touch it. Unforced errors mean net out or out-of-bounds balls in the case of active conditions, leading command rhythm and double faults. The formal name is unforced error or active fault. Active scoring and unforced errors can measure a player’s technical and tactical ability. If aggressivity can be increased and unforced errors can be reduced, the wining rate will be high. In the game, Nadal got 272 points for active scoring (Busta quitted the quarter finals) and lost 141 points due to unforced errors. His winning points are 131 more than his lost points. In Round 2 against Haase, Haase lost 28 points due to unforced errors, more than twice that of Nadal (13 points). In terms of points for active scoring, Nadal got 33 points while Haase only got 24 points. This game has well reflected the good offensive and defensive abilities of Nadal. Table 4. Data Statistics of Nadal’s Active Scoring in 7 Rounds of Matches of 2017 French Open. Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Round 4 Quarter Finals Semi Finals Finals Active scoring 22 33 85 31 5 23 73 Unforced errors 18 13 17 23 11 22 37

4. Conclusions According to the Video, the balls provided by Nadal feature a high serve speed, artful placement, powerfulness and high-quality rotation in his service game, despite in the first or second serve. Meanwhile, Nadal shows excellent defensive skills in service return. Combined with good psychological quality, he looks for offensive opportunities in defense patiently and has achieved a good result finally. Therefore, it is very important to increase the practice of serve and service return in tennis training. Games should be integrated with training to find the gap, constantly improving the technical level.

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[3] Sun Yuning. The Establishment and Change Making of One’s Style in Playing Tennis [J]. Journal of Nanjing Sport Institute, 2002 (02). [4] Jiang Wei. On Essential Abilities of a Tennis Complex Player of Baseline Who Wants to Win the Games [J]. Journal of Nanjing Institute of Physical Education (Natural Science), 2004 (03).