As Rafael Nadal walked into his press conference following his second round win in Indian Wells, an array of questions was awaiting him. One of those asked was what changes would he make to the sport. His answer was one that provided many with some food for thought.
The nine-time French Open champion could have mentioned a variety of things that has bothered him throughout his career. The time limit between points, the Davis Cup format or even the schedule of the entire ATP Tour. Instead, Nadal pointed out that the height of the three-foot net on the tennis court has not changed over the years.
“Tennis will need changes. The net is still at the same altitude.” Said Nadal.
“People are not the same. People are much more taller now than 50 years ago. So it´s obvious that we’re gonna need some changes in not a very long period of time.”
Nadal’s point is a valid one. According to one study conducted in July 2016, the average height of the person between 1914-2014 has increased in every country around the world. For example, the study found that British people are 11cm taller than 100 years ago and South Korean’s are 20.1 cm taller.
The height of a player can substantially enhance their service capability as they can make the ball bounce higher. According to statistics provided by the ATP, over the past 52 weeks the three best servers in the game have been 6’5”or taller. John Isner, who is 6’11”, has a service rating of 318.8. The rating is calculated by adding the four service metrics percentages plus the average number of aces per match and subtracting the average number of double faults per match.
List of the six best servers over the past 52 weeks (via atpworldtour.com)
|
Serve Standing©
Player
|
Serve Rating©
|
% 1st Serve
|
% 1st Serve Points Won
|
% 2nd Serve Points Won
|
% Service Games Won
|
Avg. Aces/ Match
|
Avg. Double Faults/Match
|
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
John Isner
|
318.8 | 69.3% | 81.8% | 55.1% | 92.9% | 22.6 | 2.8 |
| 2 |
Ivo Karlovic
|
313.6 | 65.0% | 82.9% | 55.8% | 93.2% | 22.0 | 5.2 |
| 3 |
Milos Raonic
|
298.9 | 64.3% | 79.7% | 55.2% | 90.0% | 12.9 | 3.1 |
| 4 |
Nick Kyrgios
|
298.0 | 66.7% | 76.0% | 55.4% | 88.9% | 14.1 | 3.2 |
| 5 |
Roger Federer
|
296.2 | 63.3% | 78.6% | 56.4% | 89.4% | 10.5 | 1.9 |
| 6 |
Gilles Muller
|
295.1 | 61.9% | 80.3% | 53.0% | 88.5% | 14.7 | 3.4 |
On the other side of the spectrum, there will be those opposed to raising the height of the net. Belgium’s David Goffin, who recently broke the top-10, relies on other areas of his game to maintain a competitive edge. The 5’11” Belgian has reached two ATP finals in Sofia and Rotterdam this season.
“I don’t have the same serve speed as some of the guys, but I have good footwork, and I take the ball early,” he told ESPN. “I am trying to play more on the baseline, be more into the court.”
Any change to the court dynamic will not likely occur in the near future, but it doesn’t mean it won’t happen one. As tennis strives to move along with the times, they may have to make the net adjustment to avoid matches being dominated by serves and aces instead of thrilling rallies.
