Upon embarking on your tennis journey, one of the initial concepts introduced is the term “fault.”
Even if tennis isn’t your preferred sport, the notion of a “fault” likely resonates with you.
For those who might need a reminder, allow me to provide some clarity.
What is a Tennis Fault?
In the realm of tennis, the term “fault” is designated to denote serves that do not meet the intended success criteria.
Numerous scenarios can lead to this outcome, with the prevalent instance being when the ball fails to land within the confines of the opponent’s designated service box.
What Causes Faults?
There are multiple ways a serve will be considered a fault.
Failure to Clear the Net
This stands as the primary and most frequent cause behind faults. The underlying rationale for this occurrence often lies in players’ intention to place the ball as near to the net as feasible. The strategic aim is to create a lower trajectory, making the ball more challenging to return compared to a high-arcing lob.
Foot Fault
This occurs when the player adopts an illegal stance during the serve. If the player’s feet make contact with the baseline before the serve, it’s deemed a foot fault. It’s imperative that the server refrains from touching the baseline until after the ball has been struck.
Furthermore, the server must remain stationary while delivering the serve. This rule is in place to prevent the server from misleading their opponents about the intended direction of the ball. Any form of running or walking is prohibited during the serve, although jumping remains permissible.
Illegal Release of the Ball
Generally, tennis players adhere to a consistent motion while executing a serve. This entails holding the ball in one hand and the racket in the other. The non-dominant hand is responsible for releasing the ball.
However, exemptions to this rule are granted for players with one-handed capabilities.
Miss
Rarely would you see a miss serve in professional tennis. I don’t think I’ve ever seen one, actually.
A serve is considered a miss when the players swing and miss during a serve. If the player does not attempt a swing, then that isn’t considered a miss and the server can repeat the serve.
Hitting a Fixture
If the ball strikes a structure within the court, such as a post, and subsequently lands within the service box, it is still deemed a fault. The ball should not make contact with any object before reaching the service box.
What is a Double Fault?
When a player commits a fault during their serve, they are granted another opportunity to serve.
If a second fault occurs immediately after the first, it is referred to as a double fault.
The concept is straightforward – a double fault involves two consecutive faults.
Consequently, a double fault leads to the opponent earning a point. This type of unforced error undeniably stems from the player’s mistake, and it becomes evident in their performance.
How Common are Double Faults?
Unlike many other sports, tennis lacks readily available specific game data. However, by analyzing extensive datasets from various matches, we can determine that double faults occur at a rate of approximately 2–4%, equating to about 1 occurrence in every 25 serves.
When it comes to first serves, they find their mark roughly 70% of the time. In contrast, second serves demonstrate a success rate of approximately 90–95%. This discrepancy is due to the fact that second serves are intentionally less forceful than first serves, as players prioritize avoiding the risk of a double fault.
Does Getting a Fault Result in a Losing Game?
Faults alone do not provide a complete picture of the game’s dynamics.
Skillful players encounter first serve faults at a rate of approximately 20–25%, while more proficient players experience even higher rates, ranging from 30–35%. This phenomenon might seem counterintuitive at first glance, but upon closer examination, it reveals a different perspective.
Traditionally, delivering a successful first serve has been considered a cornerstone of successful tennis strategy. However, when we delve into the data, a contrasting narrative emerges.
Remarkably, data from Grand Slam champions indicates that they only land their first serves around 60% of the time, translating to a 6 out of 10 serves accuracy. This stands in stark contrast to the commonly held notion of a commendable first serve rate, which is often perceived to be around 80%. This disparity prompts a reevaluation of the conventional wisdom surrounding first serves in tennis.
Let me explain.
First Serve Success Does Not Always Translate to Winning
Presently, the top 10 tennis players exhibit an average first serve success rate of 61.8%, a figure that might initially appear modest. However, a deeper analysis uncovers a pivotal aspect – this seemingly low percentage stems from a deliberate strategy of taking calculated risks on their initial serves.
This strategy involves delivering serves that are both more forceful and strategically precise, leading to a heightened likelihood of winning points. Examining Roger Federer’s performance elucidates this concept. Despite his 62% success rate on first serves, a figure that might raise eyebrows among tennis traditionalists, his standing as one of today’s premier players, and even the potential greatest player of all time, is irrefutable.
This trend is not confined to Federer alone. Novak Djokovic boasts a slightly higher success rate at 65%, while Andy Murray registers at 58%. The intriguing insight here is that exceptional players prioritize effectiveness over convention when it comes to their first serves.
Interestingly, it is among players ranking lower in the hierarchy where one finds a higher range of first serve success percentages, often hovering between 70% to 80%. This underscores the strategic element underpinning first serve tactics at the professional level of tennis.
The Sweet Spot for First Serve Success
The first fault in tennis essentially constitutes a “low-risk, high-reward” approach. Failing to execute the serve successfully doesn’t result in a penalty, as the player gets another opportunity to serve.
In essence, this rule creates a scenario where players can fault without facing consequences. Leveraging this subtle nuance, elite players often inject more power into their first serves, prioritizing power over consistency.
Failure to fully exploit this penalty-free serve suggests a lack of assertiveness in deploying first serves, a pattern that is corroborated by available data. In the grand scheme, the initial serves can be deemed “penalty-free,” encouraging players to take calculated risks and infuse additional power into their serves, even at the cost of some consistency.
Ultimately, this strategy entails finding a balance where the potency of the serve overrides concerns about absolute consistency. The optimal range for first serve success appears to hover around the 60–65% mark, signifying the blend of power and precision that delivers favorable outcomes.