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In tennis, why do serving players choose two of several balls when serving? What exactly are they looking at? Are some balls that have hit the ground during a game re-rubbed and can they come back later in the game?
Pierre Damphousse
Response from Katherine Harvey-Pinard
To answer your questions, I called on former tennis player and current manager of the National Bank Open, Valérie Tétreault. According to her, “most players look for the ball that looks the least worn, which can be seen in the ball with the ‘smoother’ or better felt. The newer the ball, the faster the game and therefore, it is an advantage for the player who is serving”. Valérie Tétreault specifies that certain superstitious players sometimes use the same ball for two points in a row. For example, if they just landed an ace.
To answer your second question, six balls are used in a professional tennis match. These are changed every nine games, except for the first change of balls. “The 5-minute warm-up period at the start of a match counts for the equivalent of two games, the first change of balls is after the 7e game, says Valérie Tétreault. The change after an odd number of games allows the players to benefit, each in turn, from new balls to serve. »
make the star
PHOTO NG HAN GUAN, ASSOCIATED PRESS
American Michael Mmoh celebrates his victory over Alexander Zverev in the second round of the Australian Open.
I often wonder where this “mania” comes from for male tennis players to lie on the ground on their backs after a victory. It annoys me a little, because the cameras often lose sight of them and we miss all the emotion of the moment.
Charles Menard
Response from Katherine Harvey-Pinard
I understand what you mean. That said, don’t forget that these players have just played a demanding duel. Often, this kind of celebration happens after a final; it’s a long week of matches that ends with the best possible result. We can therefore understand that their first reaction is that, sincere, of dropping to the ground under the effect of emotion. The director of the National Bank Open and former professional player Valérie Tétreault confirms to me that it is “simply to celebrate, a bit like soccer players who have their own manners too”.
A few words on the fly
PHOTO NG HAN GUAN, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Cristina Bucsa and Bianca Andreescu exchange a few words after their second round match at the Australian Open.
What do tennis opponents say to each other at the end of a match when they meet above the net to shake hands, tap the opponent’s chest a few times, hug each other like such good friends? I can’t imagine the winner saying to the loser “good game” or “better luck next time” or “thank you for your effort”, etc.
Mario Bolduc
Response from Katherine Harvey-Pinard
The exchange at the end of a match represents a sign of politeness after a long and difficult duel. It is not because a player lost that he played badly. The director of the National Bank Open and former professional player Valérie Tétreault confirms to me that most of the time players say to themselves “Good game” or even “Well played”. When the two players know each other well, it can be a bit more personal, she explains.
The Hockey Mouthguard
PHOTO RICK OSENTOSKI, USA TODAY SPORTS ARCHIVES
Matthew Tkachuk
What is the rule if a player loses his mouthguard in a game situation, and why does the league tolerate that some players, like Matthew Tkachuk or Auston Matthews, chew it all the time?
Daniel Cadieux
Response from Simon-Olivier Lorange
There are no regulations on mouthguards… period. Unlike helmets or gloves, for example, whose mandatory wearing is listed in the NHL rulebook, wearing a mouth guard is optional in the Bettman circuit – unlike minor hockey. Thus, a player can wear it or not, chew it or not; in short, do what pleases him.
The game in the game
PHOTO FRANÇOIS ROY, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Fight between Chris Wideman and Tyson Jost on November 22 at the Bell Center
It is often said that fighting is part of the game at hockey. So if fighting is really part of the gamewhy do we stop the stopwatch?
Martin Lamoureux
Answer from Mathias Brunet
This expression, which I have always hated, has long been used by people of the old school to justify fights, but in fact a fight constitutes an infraction, since a five-minute major penalty is imposed on those who throw the gloves. Fortunately, there are fewer and fewer, with what we now know of the devastating effects of bare fists on the brain. At the other end of the spectrum, when we talk about “abolishing” fights in hockey, we are not even talking about making them disappear completely, but about expelling the two belligerents from the game. Doesn’t seem like too much to ask, but we’re not there yet…