"Aryna hits forehand at a higher speed than men at the US Open"

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"Speed is something where there isn't much difference," said Shane Liyanage regarding that comparison between men and women on the professional circuit. The data analyst has been working with ATP and WTA players for several years, during which he has analyzed countless statistics to help them improve. Aryna Sabalenka is one of them, with whom he has been working for five years and has assisted, for example, with the serve and double faults, among many other things.

Do you speak directly with the players?

"In general, all relationships are a bit different, but with the top players, the relationship is almost exclusively with the coach. We also have some relationship with the player, but we have to be very careful that communication goes through the coach to ensure that the information reaches at the right time," Shane explained in an interview with Tennis Majors.

Crucial improvements for Sabalenka

"We saw that certain services, the ball toss from where she hit it, in terms of speed, was not optimal. We also had data showing that, under pressure situations, the whole service swing movement was even less optimal. The work done by the biomechanics coach improved her understanding of her own serve motion, also fixing some technical flaws.

There was a before and after. This year has been a blessing because she could work on other aspects of her tennis. In an Australian Open, Aryna made an average of 20 double faults and reached the fourth round. She would give her opponent 20 points and still win many matches. That meant other parts of her game had improved. That year was a blessing, she doesn't win three Grand Slams if she doesn't go through that."

More variety and confidence in her tennis

"Everyone knew she was a big hitter from the baseline, but in the last two years, she has sought the balance between power and effect. She also has more variety in her game. Anyone who has seen her in the last 18 months can see that she uses drop shots much more. She is trying to come to the net a little more and feels more comfortable with slices. Now she trusts herself even in pressure moments. Her movement has also improved."

Differences between the women's and men's circuit

"It's surprising, but speed is something where there isn't much difference. If you remove the serve, it's not so different. The spin is significantly higher in men than in women. Regarding ball speed, Aryna hit her forehand faster than men at the US Open, for example. The women's game is more linear, while the men's can be a bit more lateral. Men hit more angles, vary the height much more than a female player. The tennis player uses the court width much more than in the women's circuit."

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, "Aryna golpeaba la derecha a mayor velocidad que los hombres en el US Open"