Numerical and analytical calculations are presented on the flight of a tennis ball and the subsequent bounce off the court for typical groundstrokes. The horizontal flight distance was chosen as 22.77 m, corresponding to a typical shot launched from above the baseline to land 1 m inside the opposite baseline. A wide range of shots was examined by varying the launch speed, launch angle and topspin, using representative values of the lift and drag coefficients, as well as representative values of the coefficients of restitution and friction to determine the launch parameters after the bounce. The results compare favourably with measurements gathered from Hawk-Eye data, and could be used to analyse trajectory data in greater detail and to estimate the effectiveness of different types of groundstrokes.
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