You are currently browsing the category archive for the ‘Tennis’ category.
Figure 1. The new roof on Wimbledon's Centre Court has been claimed to slow the ball down, make the ball heavier and make the air more humid, none of which quite adds up (picture from the Guardian, 2009).
The comments made about the new roof over Wimbledon’s Centre Court have puzzled me. The Wall Street Journal and the Times had the headline “Wimbledon Roof Slows Balls Down” while the Daily Mail had “How Centre Court’s new roof puts a dampener on Andy Murray’s serve” (I admit that I’m quoted in this one). One comment suggested that “due to the increase in humidity when the roof is closed, balls are heavier and travel slightly slower through the air“.
Well, I’ve done a lot of work for the International Tennis Federation (ITF) on ball impacts, aerodynamics and surfaces and the comments above are physically contradictory (although not necessarily obvious). I want to explain the contradictions and in the process figure out what happens when the roof closes to make the players complain that the ball is slowing down. Hawkeye data has shown the ball to be travelling up to 5 mph slower when it reaches the reciever if the roof is shut.
Understanding the physics of the groundstroke in tennis is important for the International Tennis Federation, tennis brands and players. As a research centre we recently published a paper in the journal of Sports Sciences on this subject. Following publication the paper was featured in a short article in Men’s Health magazine.
- Cover of Men’s Health Magazine May 2011
Sony and the All England Lawn Tennis Club have signed a deal to allow TV viewers to watch Wimbledon in 3D. Along with their partners SuperVision Media, Sony will use their special filming techniques to capture and broadcast live in 3D. Read the rest of this entry »
It may seem like I have balls on the brain if my last couple of posts are any indication. Balls are such a big part of sport and Sports Engineers are fascinated by the way they behave as they bounce on the ground and fly through the air.
I’ve seen two amazing videos recently which exhibit the way in which balls can still baffle us.
Rugby, the penalty of wind
The video below shows a Rugby player taking a penalty in what the Irish tourist board might describe as ‘a slight breeze’. Be sure to watch from all angles to get a good idea of what’s going on.
Unfortunately as I spent so much time preparing for my presentation yesterday (time mostly spent pacing around with nervous tension) I’ve decided to cheat a little and combine the last two days of the conference.
I’m going to focus on the great work being done by some big sports companies who have presented at the conference.
Many tennis commentators decry the demise of the wooden racket, with a smaller head and less forgiving nature, it demanded a more considered and poised form of play. While it is unlikely that a current professional, raised on cutting-edge carbon fibre rackets would revert to lumber, there is an outlawed stringing method which could have more appeal.
As the world’s Tennis elite battle through the early stages of the Australian Open, you have to wonder how many would give anything to get their hands on a racket which would be able to propel them to the latter stages with relative ease. As unlikely as it sounds, such a thing did exist over 30 years ago.
wiredchop
leonfoster
theclownshoes
David Curtis
stevehaake
drdavidjames
hdriscoll
joemcafield
engsportguest
sheffieldbullet
