When it comes to your court pace, are you comparing apples with apples?
Court Pace Ratings or Court Pace Index? Laykold’s former tennis pro and court expert, Luke Burden, explains the difference and why it matters
With the eyes of the tennis world on the US Open, known as the fastest Grand Slam tournament, it is valuable to take a take a closer look at how court pace is being measured.
There are two ‘competing’ methods:
ITF’s Court Pace Rating (CPR) system which is the standardized system for measuring the speed of a court.
Hawk-Eye’s Court Pace Index which calculates real-time data for broadcast
Both systems have their place, but they are measuring different things, and it is fundamental to our understanding of how fast a court is actually playing, to know the difference between the two.
The ITF’s Court Pace Ratings (CPR) explained
The ITF’s CPR is based on a classification system ranging from one to five (1 - Slow, 2 – Medium Slow, 3 - Medium, 4 - Medium-Fast, 5 – Fast). For each classification there is a 5-point range so, for example, a medium/fast court (MF4) would have a CPR of 40-44.
The ITF uses specialized equipment including an air cannon and infrared timing gates to measure the pace across multiple points of a court. Pace is established by firing a ball at the surface and recording its velocity before and after the bounce. The ITF explains;
“Rougher surfaces, which generate more friction between the ball and the court, reduce the horizontal speed of the ball, making a court ‘slower’. Additionally, surfaces that have a higher bounce play slower because players have more time to reach the ball. CPR uses both these factors to determine how fast or how slow a court is.”
Hawk-Eye’s Court Pace Index (CPI) explained
Hawk-Eye’s CPI, which appears on broadcasts and is provided to tournament directors, incorporates multiple variables. From humidity to wind, ball strike to a multitude of environmental conditions, it provides a measure of court playability, not just pace.
Hawk-Eye’s system consists of a number of cameras situated around the perimeter of the court from which data is collected and fed into a computer algorithm. This data is immensely valuable but shouldn’t be taken as a true reflection of pure court pace and instead should be considered more of a ‘playing conditions’ measurement.
CPR v CPI
The key difference is that CPR is set while CPI changes.
During a tournament, a court’s Court Pace Rating doesn’t change, except perhaps for a very minor increase in pace as the court wears. The court pace certainly never slows during a tournament.
However, Hawk-eye’s Court Pace Index does vary across the duration of a tournament. On the opening day it could be 39, by midweek it is 40 and by the second week it is down to 37. This is because it isn’t just measuring court pace. There are multiple other factors at work.
“Working within the ITF’s 5-point CPR brackets, Laykold is able to dial in an even more accurate level of pace precision and consistency which is 10 x more accurate than the industry standard.”
A new level of pace precision and consistency
For the world’s best players to have control, they need the highest level of pace precision and consistency across all courts at a tournament. The necessity of this is further demonstrated by the Hawk-Eye data which shows how much the variety of conditions impact ‘playability’.
On the basis that setting the court pace sets the standard, Laykold has developed a formulation database that enables our scientists to tailor court speed for individual tournaments to within 0.5 of a point.
Working within the ITF’s 5-point CPR brackets, Laykold is able to dial in an even more accurate level of pace precision and consistency which is 10 x more accurate than the industry standard.
When it comes to court pace rating, we need to be comparing apples with apples
Pace consistency means better consistency of play. A consistent system for measuring court pace (and only the court) is required to ensure we are comparing apples with apples. When it comes to court pace, the ITF’s Court Pace Rating is the most consistent apple.