In this paper we investigate the truth (more often the untruth) of seventeen commonly heard statements about tennis. We base our analysis on point-by-point data of almost 500 singles matches played at Wimbledon, 1992-1995. The seventeen hypotheses under consideration are: 1 A player is as good as his/her second service; 2 There exists a psychological advantage to serve first in a set; 3 Few breaks occur during the first few games in a match; 4 Serving with new balls provides a slight advantage; 5 In the 1995 Wimbledon Championships softer balls were used than in previous years. This has resulted in less service dominance; 6 After a double fault most players make sure their next first service is in; 7 An ace is worth more than one point; 8 Good players make sure their first service is in at game point or break point; 9 The real champions play their best tennis at the big points; 10 The 7th game is the most important game in the set; 11 All points are equally important; 12 After breaking your opponent's service there is an increased chance that you will loose your
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Paper provided by Tilburg University, Center for Economic Research in its series Discussion Paper with number
73.
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