| ITF hosts successful TST Congress |
The ITF Science & Technical Department hosted its 3rd International Congress on Tennis Science & Technology (TST) at Whitelands College at the University of Roehampton in London last week. Over 90 of the world’s leading tennis science and technology researchers were present for three days of outstanding presentation and discussion.
Almost 50 presentations were given, the standard of which was extremely high. In addition to academics, the delegates included representatives from the equipment manufacturers, coaches, court constructors and national governing bodies. The congress was officially opened by ITF Vice President Geoff Pollard who commented that the Congress was a gathering of “the brains of tennis”, and how understanding technology was crucial to the future of the game. In addition, he contributed to four scientific papers which focused on the probability of a player winning a match based on improving their level of play at different stages of the match.
Two keynote presentations were given: the first, by Dr Stuart Miller, ITF Head of Science & Technical, and which opened the Congress, discussed the role of the Science & Technical Department in the development of rules and regulations for tennis equipment. This presentation included an overview of the projects undertaken by the ITF Technical Centre, and their contribution to the understanding and protection of the nature of tennis. The second was presented by Professor Steve Haake of Sheffield Hallam University, Great Britain, who examined the evolution of the tennis racket and its effect
on serve speed.
To encourage debate amongst the delegates, a discussion panel, entitled ‘Rules are made to be broken: where does tennis go from here?’, addressed current issues with respect to the Rules of Tennis. As Chairman of the ITF Rules of Tennis Committee, Geoff Pollard played a major part on the distinguished panel, and was joined by Chris Bowers(journalist and broadcaster), Steven Martens (LTA Head of Technical Support), Angie Cunningham (Vice-President,Player Relations, Sony Ericsson WTA Tour), and Ralph Schwenger (Head Sport AG, R&D Director Racketsports). Among the many topics discussed during the discussion were electronic line-calling, equipment development, player physiology
and coaching.
The quality of presentations was extremely high, and covered a variety of topics, including equipment technology, player development and analysis, and the environment. The second Howard Brody Award (sponsored by CISLunar Aerospace) for outstanding contributed paper, which was presented in person by Professor Brody, went to Simon Choppin of Sheffield University, Great Britain, for a paper on the three-dimensional analysis of racket and ball during play. Professor Brody commented that the 3rd TST Congress was thought-provoking, and generated more interaction between delegates than either of the two previous events.
Over 40 delegates took the opportunity to visit the ITF Technical Centre, which contains the world’s leading tennis-specific research and testing laboratory. Prior to the congress dinner being held at the All England Lawn Tennis Club, delegates also had the opportunity to tour the facility for a behind-the-scenes look at Wimbledon.
The congress dinner was attended by ITF President Francesco Ricci Bitti, who stressed the importance of technology in tennis, and the responsibility of the ITF to control the nature of the game through an understanding of equipment.
Proceedings, containing all the papers presented at the Congress, are available for purchase through the ITF Store https://store.itftennis.com.
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