Testing some common tennis hypotheses: Four years at Wimbledon

In this paper we investigate the truth (more often the untruth) of seventeen commonly heard statements about tennis.We base our analysis on point-by-point data of almost 500 singles matches played at Wimbledon, 1992-1995.The seventeen hypotheses under consideration are: 1 A player is as good as his/her second service; 2 There exists a psychological advantage to serve first in a set; 3 Few breaks occur during the first few games in a match; 4 Serving with new balls provides a slight advantage; 5 In the 1995 Wimbledon Championships softer balls were used than in previous years.This has resulted in less service dominance; 6 After a double fault most players make sure their next first service is in; 7 An ace is worth more than one point; 8 Good players make sure their first service is in at game point or break point; 9 The real champions play their best tennis at the big points; 10 The 7th game is the most important game in the set; 11 All points are equally important; 12 After breaking your opponent's service there is an increased chance that you will loose your own service; 13 After missing break points in the previous game there is an increased chance that you will loose your own service; 14 After winning a set there is an increased chance that you will loose the first game in the next set; 15 One break is enough to win the set; 16 In long matches the dominance of the service decreases; 17 In the final set the player who has won the previous set has the advantage.