OTW Extra Email Archive - May 2024

Notes from the tour - week 20...

Thursday 16th May 2024

I’ve got three American players to talk to you about today. All at different stages of their careers – and with contrasting form in 2024…

Losing streak…

Starting with a young lady on a tough losing streak right now. World no.137 Alycia Parks is enduring a brutal run of results. The 23-year-old has lost 13 matches in a row

An ugly sequence of score-lines that starts from a defeat to Coco Gauff at the Australian Open in January (no shame in that). And has carried right through to this month, with Parks’ most recent loss coming at the hands of Georgia Pedone at the lower-grade WTA event taking place in Parma this week – with the Italian teenager sitting at a ranking of no.270…

As I’ve said before, I’m no tennis coach. But one thing that is glaringly obvious when watching Parks play this season, is that her second serve lets her down way, way too much…

When it’s on song, Alycia has a very dangerous first serve. However, dump that long, wide, or into the net too often – and there is then a lot of pressure on that second ball-toss…

The numbers tell a clear and sorry tale here. As with a fellow all-or-nothing big server I’ve mentioned before, male compatriot Maxime Cressy. The double-fault tallies are outstripping the aces, and that usually spells defeat in the match…

Aces vs. Double Faults…

Here are the Aces vs. Double Faults figures for each of those matches on Alycia Parks’ current 13-match losing streak (most recent first):

7-10
1-8
1-6
3-7
1-13
7-10
4-10
0-7
8-9

11-7
6-8
13-9
2-8

Those numbers show that in 11 of those 13 defeats, Parks served more double faults than she did aces. It’s no coincidence. It’s a flaw in her game. And one that needs ironing out…

Coco’s struggling on serve again…

Another young American, world no.3 Coco Gauff, has had to overcome similar ‘dodgy double faults’ moments in her career. When winning the US Open last year, it looked like Coco had got it sussed. During that seven-match charge to her first Grand Slam title, Gauff hit more double faults than aces on just three occasions…

Compare that 2023 New York figure to her current form, with the 20-year-old on a nine-match run for posting negative numbers when it comes to Aces vs. Double Faults:

2-6
3-11
1-15
3-9
1-13
3-8
1-3
3-8
2-15

The big difference being, compared to Alycia Parks’ lack of victories – Coco Gauff has still managed to win seven of those nine matches, despite all the double faults. It’s an Achilles heel though, and one that continues to blight Coco in big-match situations. She’ll have one of those this afternoon, taking on world no.1 Iga Swiatek in the WTA Rome semi finals, live on Sky Sports…

  • The career match win-loss head-to-head between Swiatek and Gauff is 9-1 to the Polish player. The last time they faced each other, in November, Gauff served zero aces… and 7 double faults

Winning streak…

Let’s end today’s analysis with some positive numbers. American world no.15 Danielle Collins is set to retire at the end of this year. And since announcing that news, the 30-year-old has proceeded to play with the handbrake off, and put together what’s already shaping up to be the best season of her career. As Danielle said herself yesterday, she’s “going out with a bang”

Collins is currently in sparkling form. Winning 19 of her last 20 matches. Claiming the biggest title of her career, at the Miami Open. And also lifting a trophy in Charleston. The last player to beat Danielle was world no.2 Aryna Sabalenka… and they meet again in the Rome semi finals this evening.

And if we take a look at that Aces vs. Double Faults measurement for Collins, then she’s in the positive column right now. Serving more doubles than aces in just 8 of those 20 matches, of which she’s won 19.

The takeaway from today’s ‘Notes from the tour’ being, look out for players who regularly serve a lot of double faults. It usually means there’s trouble on the horizon…

Watch this space next week for more Ones to Watch insights coming your way. With the French Open coming up on the Bank Holiday weekend…

Best wishes,

Tom Wilson

Oliver Upstone

Ones to Watch