Tennis Players Run Miles
One of the odd byproducts of the HawkEye call review system is a flood of statistics about tennis, perhaps to a fault.
Call review/ replay systems use numerous cameras to track movement on court from many angles, which is analyzed by computers. Since nothing restricts that to where the ball lands, we can learn a great deal (arguably too much). Network television is adding some clever graphics systems of their own.
Among the stats is how far tennis players run. During the five set match where Novak Djokovic beat Radek Stepanek at the U.S. Open in 2007, Stepanek ran approximately 5 miles while Djokovic put in a less strenuous 3.5 miles. (I'm doing this from memory of the broadcast commentary, thus the rounding.)
This graphic by CBS Sports from last week's U.S. Open 2008 semi-final where Andy Murray beat Rafael Nadal shows how Murray logged 216.6 ft tracking down and winning one point. Red circles on the far side of the court show where his shots landed. A five set match can comprise up to 400 points.
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