Oxford University Press's
Academic Insights for the Thinking World

  • Author: Franc Klaassen

Does the “serving-first advantage” actually exist?

Suppose you are watching a tennis match between Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal. The commentator says: “Djokovic serves first in the set, so he has an advantage.” Why would this be the case? Perhaps because he is then ‘always’ one game ahead, thus serving under less pressure. But does it actually influence him and, if so, how?

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