ABSTRACT
The four major events in the tennis calendar, the Grand Slams, are now played on four different surfaces, since the Australian Open moved from Perth to Melbourne, and changed from grass to a synthetic surface. There is a lack of knowledge concerning the strategy of elite tennis players on the different types of surfaces. The more knowledge that is available to the coaches and athletes of the sport the more effective can the coaches be, as this knowledge acts as feedback within the coaching process. The importance of feedback has been clearly stressed by Franks eta!. (1983) and Hughes (1985). Although a number of studies have concentrated on statistical and chance relationships in tennis (King and Baker, 1979; Ladany and Macho!, 1977; Croucher, 1986), few have analysed the patterns of play so that an objective database can be compiled for the development of informed coaching and tactical planning. The aim of this study is to provide a quantitative comparison of elite players on two vastly different surfaces, at Wimbledon (grass) and and at the Australian championship (synthetic).
