Methods to determine the aerodynamic forces acting on tennis balls in flight

The aim of this study is to assess the methods available to measure the aerodynamic forces acting on a tennis ball during flight. The assessment covered a range of spin rates, velocities and angles, but also looked at the effect of improving the quality of source of data and smoothing techniques. The methods assessed incorporate wind tunnel techniques, projecting devices, digital photography and motion analysis techniques. Given the equipment available, a wind tunnel technique utilising a force balance was found to return the best quality results for drag forces, whilst a wind tunnel technique utilising a specially designed spin drop device and digital photography should return the best results for lift forces.