The Australian Open is upon us for another year, and the best tennis players in the world have assembled in Melbourne to compete for the right to call themselves “champion”.
Much of the focus will be on the genuine contenders for the men’s and women’s singles trophies – the likes of Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Victoria Azerenka and Serena Williams. But for many Australians, the focus of the tournament will be 20-year-old Bernard Tomic who is currently ranked 64th in the world.
Will Tomic be able to follow through on suggestions he’s good enough to break into the top ten? Or will his highest-yet world ranking of 27th – reached in June 2012 – be as close to the top ten he gets?
While such questions are very difficult to answer, there is a branch of science that’s making...
