Is Tennis Becoming More Physically Demanding Than Ever?

[userfde44]

Over the past decade, professional tennis seems to have become more physically intense. Longer rallies, baseline endurance battles, and improved fitness levels have changed the dynamic of the sport. Tournaments like Wimbledon and US Open now feature extremely high-paced matches even in early rounds.

From a performance and statistical perspective, I’ve noticed interesting match data trends while reviewing numbers on platforms like OddsRun, especially regarding stamina-based match outcomes.

Do you think modern tennis players are more complete athletes compared to 10–15 years ago?
Or has the game simply evolved tactically?

 

[riverman]

I think it always has been. Especially singles matches that can go for hours. NBA players play a 48 minute game with breaks. Tennis is a gruel. You don't get a substitute when you're tired. I don't think it's more grueling today than in Rod Laver's era. Those guys played a lot more matches. Laver was an ironman. They also didn't serve aces as a strategy so volley's were longer. The purpose of the serve originally in tennis was simply to put the ball in play.