Height Advantage in Pro Tennis - Explain it please

[ElChivoEspañol]

There’s a sweet spot where 6’-6’3” help you maximize serve and ground strokes without sacrificing movement.

Another advantage of height in tennis that is almost never mentioned is the bounce during baseline rallies, taller players have more time and a bigger “sweet spot” between the hips and shoulder to hit the ball more aggressively/ effectively.

Shorter players end up hitting balls over their shoulders that taller players hit below, and they lose power and control in the process.

 

[slice bh compliment]

Height can generally be an advantage in this sport. Wingspan certainly is. Speed and agility as well.

 

[vex]

I know that height is a real advantage in the pro game, but I'm not exactly sure of the details as to why.

Serve, yes - taller gives an advantage, it would seem.
Ground strokes - More power, in general? Because of longer arm length?

I'd love to read a detailed explanation of the phenomenon.

Players like Goffin and Fognini struggle against tall, power players. They seem to have the talent in other areas, but the height thing seems to limit them.

Thanks!!

- Serve BOMBS to the point where you don’t even need to hit topspin on your serve
- reach on ground strokes.
- court coverage as long as you’re not so tall that you’re athleticism can’t keep up. Right now Djokovic at 6’3 seems to be the limit of peak athleticism and height. Zev/Med are still great but u can start to see the trade off at thier height.
- domination at the net

 

[LawnTennisGod]

One of these is not like the others.

Such players will be few and far between. Outside of the previous generation goats, Tennis is being dominated by taller players since they have significant advantages.

So it is better to be 6’4-6’6 nowadays than 6’1, especially as the taller players are now able to be more mobile & agile than ever before.

 

[travlerajm]

Such players will be few and far between. Outside of the previous generation goats, Tennis is being dominated by taller players since they have significant advantages.

So it is better to be 6’4-6’6 nowadays than 6’1, especially as the taller players are now able to be more mobile & agile than ever before.

It’s probably better to be 6’4”-6’6” than to be 5’11” with a good PR team.

 

[sportmac]

Well this aged like milk

Yeah, proved to be a fighter. Now, tell me, what was your prediction for him in 2017?

 

[Lazuras_Long]

Yeah, proved to be a fighter. Now, tell me, what was your prediction for him in 2017?

Didn’t have him too 20, admittedly.

but I did think that between his point construction and overall rally capability, he’d be a reliable top 50 for most of his prime

 

[travlerajm]

People don’t appreciate that shorter-arm guys have an accuracy advantage on groundstrokes.

The accuracy is offset by the power advantage of longer-arm players.

So tall guys tend to better at serving (where power matters most), and short guys tend to be better at returning serve (where accuracy matters most).

The best players are the ones who find ways to harness their physical advantages while also compensating for their physical limitations.

 

[sportmac]

Didn’t have him too 20, admittedly.

but I did think that between his point construction and overall rally capability, he’d be a reliable top 50 for most of his prime

So...

 

[Lazuras_Long]

So...

a needle pulling thread?

 

[sportmac]

a needle pulling thread?

long Frank Lloyd Wright

 

[JustBob]

The ideal height used to be 6'-6'2". I remember 25+ years ago, if you were a 6'4" guy, you would have been told "sorry, you're too tall to play tennis". And look at how many 6'3"+ players we have now. The main reason for that is the shift towards much more physical tennis, which requires much more time spent on physical preparation, which produces more athletic players. If you look at player development programs since the 60's/70's up to now, the ratio of time spent on tennis (technique) vs physical preparation has gone from roughly 20/80 to 50/50. So we now have tall guys who move well for their size, unlike in the past.