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Match Analysis Tips: Turning Numbers Into Practice Plans

Stats are only useful if they change what you do on Tuesday at practice. A practical framework for turning your tennis match data into drills.

Logging matches is the easy part. Turning that data into better tennis is where most players stop. Here's a framework I use with my own log.

Step 1: Look at the last 10 matches, not the last 1

A single match is noise. Filter to the last 10 in Tennis Log and look at three numbers:

  • Hold %
  • Break %
  • Tiebreak record

Step 2: Find the worst number

Whichever of those three is lowest is your training target for the next 4 weeks. Not all three. One.

Step 3: Translate to a drill

  • Low hold % → serve+1 patterns, second-serve placement, kick serve under pressure
  • Low break % → return depth drills, chip-and-charge on second serves, return position experiments
  • Bad tiebreak record → simulated tiebreaks at the end of every practice, breath-control routine between points

Step 4: Measure again after 4 weeks

Don't change the drill mid-cycle. Log matches as normal, then re-check the same three numbers. If the target metric moved up, lock it in and pick the next weakest. If it didn't move, the drill is wrong — try a different approach for the same weakness.

Step 5: Annotate matches

Use the notes field on every match. Six months from now you'll forget which opponent had the heavy lefty serve or which court had bad bounces. Your future self will thank you.

The players who improve fastest aren't the ones who play the most — they're the ones who close the loop between match data and practice.