Validation of the ITF racket power machine

The International Tennis Federation has a machine in their laboratory for measuring the power of a tennis racket. The machine (codenamed ΜΨΟ) simulates a player's serve and speed gates are used to measure the post-impact ball velocity. In this paper, sample data from this machine is presented and compared to data collected using a high-speed video camera. There is an excellent correlation between the two sets of data, confirming that the ΜΨΟ system is operating correctly. The data from the ΜΨΟ is also compared with data collected using an alternative method of measuring the ball rebound velocity. It was found that the two methods correlate very closely which confirms that the ΜΨΟ machine is a valid tool to measure 'Racket Power'.