Smashing records at AO 2021
For the first time, Australian Open fans will witness a history making moment each time a player sets a new personal best or breaks an AO tournament record thanks to a statistical innovation from the Game Insight Group (GIG).
Established in 2018 by Tennis Australia and Victoria University, GIG is made up of a team of experts revolutionising tennis through science and data analysis, and they continue to introduce new ways to dissect the game through the AO broadcast.
“One of our aims with GIG is to help the fan make a deeper connection with their heroes on the screen and this new broadcast innovation does just that. We’ve witnessed some epic matches and shots this Australian Open but we don’t always celebrate those moments for how remarkable or unique they are. Players are constantly trying to get better or add a few percent to their games but sometimes we miss it”, said Dr Machar Reid, Tennis Australia Head of Innovation.
Serena Williams has one of the best serves in the world but has she returned to her 20th AO hitting it bigger than ever before? According to the tracking data analysed, the player smashed not just her record but the tournament record with a massive 203km/h serve in the third set of her fourth round match.
World No.1 Novak Djokovic has also made his mark this AO setting personal records for fastest serve and forehand.
The GIG team has analysed years’ worth of shot and tracking data to set the record straight on who is the AO’s top player across the following categories:
Shot level AO Record | Men’s | Women’s | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Fastest Serve | COPIL | 242.7 | S.WILLIAMS | 203.0 |
Fastest Return | JARRY | 179.3 | MUGURUZA | 167.7 |
Fastest Forehand | KARLOVIC | 188.0 | STEPHENS | 159.3 |
Fastest Backhand | SHAPOVALOV | 163.2 | VANDEWEGHE | 152.2 |
Match level AO Record | ||||
Longest Distance (km) | SANDGREN | 6.83 | DAVIS | 5.29 |
Highest Hitting Load | KHACHANOV | 1,573 | DAVIS | 1,056 |
Most Sprints | SANDGREN | 234 | DAVIS | 122 |
Most High Intensity Changes | DE MINAUR | 314 | DAVIS | 145 |
Highest Total Work (KJ) | YMER | 8,734 | DAVIS | 4,389 |
Tournament level AO Record |
|
| ||
Longest Distance (km) | NADAL | 22.54 | HALEP | 21.31 |
Highest Hitting Load | THIEM | 6,291 | HALEP | 4,034 |
Most Sprints | THIEM | 654 | HALEP | 442 |
Most High Intensity Changes | DIMITROV | 826 | HALEP | 437 |
Highest Total Work (KJ) | THIEM | 26,581 | HALEP | 16,712 |
“The Game Insight Group continues to deliver new and innovative tennis insights for not only coaches and players, but also broadcasters, media and fans. We’re determined to continue to lead the industry in this pursuit. This new initiative adds another layer of detail to the comprehensive existing coverage of the Australian Open, allowing for fans to be seamlessly alerted to the events biggest highlights and key records”, said Sam Robertson, Professor Sports Analytics at VU’s Institute for Health and Sport.
