Tennis performance priorities for all-court player using the Analytic Hierarchy Process method

Abstract

Purpose: Above all, a wealth of research into the game of tennis has failed to provide an answer to the question of how to measure the overall performance of a top tennis player under competitive conditions. The aim of this study was to investigate the priorities for all-court tennis players on offence and defence. Methods: The relative importance coefficients related to the style of all-court tennis players were determined for eighteen criteria for evaluating overall performance based on the expertise conducted by seven tennis experts. In this study, the priorities for “all-court” style were analysed using the Analytic Hierarchy Process method. From each given matrix, the vectors of importance coefficients defined by each of the experts were calculated using the geometric mean method and used to form a matrix of importance coefficients for an all-court player. The vectors of the arithmetic mean and standard deviations were calculated. Results: The top of the defensive hierarchical structure indicates that the quality of movement/defensive tasks and the quality of the first serve-return have a high importance; the quality of performance in long rallies has a medium to high importance. The top of the offensive hierarchy structure indicates that playing with multiple styles and the quality of the first serve have a high importance; the quality of taking the initiative in rallies and the quality of the offensive forehand have a medium to high importance. Conclusions: The results of this study can be used by coaches to select the optimal technical and tactical solutions.