2013 Australian Open, Gael Monfils vs Gilles Simon, 71 shot rally that still remains one of the longest in Grand Slam history.

3 reasons why they kept 54 of their shots cross court (X) and only 17 down-the-line (DTL):

1. The X axis is exactly nearly 2 metres (or 4,5 feet) longer than DTL which means that they have more space to playy with and less chance of the ball drifting too long

2. The ball travels over the lowest part of the net because the net is lower in the middle of the court (0.91 m / 3 feet) vs at the edges (1.07 m / 3 ft 6 in), so there’s less chance of hitting the ball out

3. There’s less recovery steps necessary when the ball is hit cross court. You can stay on the same side from which you just hit the ball.

SMART PLAYERS HIT MORE BALLS CROSS-COURT THAN DOWN-THE-LINE

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