Influence of players' level on racket speed and ball accuracy in the tennis serve

INTRODUCTION
Serve in modern tennis game is an important offensive weapon for players (1-2). In kinematic analysis, serve is the most studied stroke of this game. The aim of our study was to compare the performance of two specific populations: international players versus national players. In particular, racket speed at impact and accuracy of ball were assessed.
METHODS
A tennis court was reconstructed in a motion analysis laboratory. The position of the racket was evaluated in 3D at a frequency rate of 200 Hz. Tests were performed on 6 professional players (international level) and 9 non-professional players (national level). Each of them served 25 trials in direction of the “T” area of deuce diagonal. Two squares of 1m² and 2 m² respectively were delimited on the corner of the serve square. The instruction for both groups was to serve in the “T” area with the highest ball speed and minimal ball rotation (flat serve).
RESULTS
Although the forward speed of the racket at impact was identical between the two groups of players (International 36.35 ± 2.37 m/s and national 36.37 ± 2.90 m/s, p-value 0,991), the accuracy and consistency of serves on the target area is better for international players group (1m² area: International 33% ± 7% and national 14% ± 12%, p-value 0.0053; 2m² area (including 1m² area): International 71% ± 8% and national 54% ± 12%, p-value 0.0096; Out of zone: International 29% ± 8% and national 46% ± 12%, p-value 0.014).
DISCUSSION
High-velocity ball seems to be a key factor for serve performance (3). It is known that there is a relationship between racket speed and ball velocity (4). Both groups have high racket speed. However, international players serve with better accuracy and consistency than national players. We hypothesize that these differences are due to capacity of international players to adapt to a particular environment. Moreover, international players could give priority to consistency over velocity. We conclude that high-velocity serve is not a sufficient criterion to perform at international level; consistency and accuracy are two important factors to reach this level.