* SERG PhD Opportunity [OPEN 2024] * Tennis is a dynamic and widely celebrated sport that captivates millions around the world with its blend of athleticism, strategy, and finesse. Played on a rectangular court, tennis involves two opponents, or teams of two, who use rackets to hit a ball back and forth over a net. […]
The Davis Cup is an international men’s tennis competition that is one of the oldest and most prestigious team events in the sport. It was founded in 1900 by Dwight F. Davis, a Harvard University tennis player, hence the name “Davis Cup.” The tournament is contested annually between more than 130 nation teams and is […]
In the epic 2011 US Open Final, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal mesmerised tennis fans by sliding on hard court surfaces, a technique that had, for the most part, been reserved solely for clay courts. In this year’s tournament Djokovic appeared to have mastered the technique as he slid effortlessly into the final, only to […]
Number 2: Tennis – Hawkeye assistant official In second place is tennis – although not the technological influence that may first spring to mind. Normally when referring to technological advances in tennis, racket design is the first on the list. Improvements in materials allowed the rackets to become lighter, stiffer and provide a larger hitting […]
Yesterday, the Sunday Times reported that some professional tennis players (allegedly) spray their strings with silicon to help them generate spin (Link to report in The Australian due to Times’ paywall). Spin plays an important role in Tennis, top-spin generates a vertical force which cause the ball to dip, this allows a player to keep […]
At first glance, the spectacular conclusion of the men’s singles competition at the Australian Open may seem to suggest that Rafael Nadal is still clueless when it comes to playing the tireless Novak Djokovic. However, there is a difference to Nadal’s game this year compared to last. Nadal, former world number one, surrendered 6 defeats […]
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 […]
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 […]
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.Â
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 […]
Engineering Sport 