Tier 3 — Niche and specialty gaps (2026-08-24)
Lower-priority additions. Each is a one-page article. Do them as filler between the larger extractions in Tier 1 and Tier 2.
Count: 5 gaps · Source books: 5+
1. Real Tennis / Jeu de paume
Books in library on this topic: 1 (referenced)
Source: Review_of_tennis_ball_aerodynamics.pdf (historical background section)
Suggested repo location: new article history/Real-Tennis-Jeu-de-Paume.md
What the books say
- Real tennis originated in France as jeu de paume ("the game of the palm"), 12th century.
- Played on a stone surface surrounded by four high walls and a sloping roof.
- The present lopsided racket head emerged around 1750, enabling players to scoop balls out of corners and put cut (spin) on the ball.
- The oldest surviving real tennis court is at Hampton Court Palace, built by King Henry VIII around 1530.
- Lawn tennis was derived from real tennis in 1873 by Major Walter Wingfield (Welsh army officer).
Why the repo doesn't have this
Not in the repo. A 30-minute cultural article.
2. "Rough" / "Smooth"
Books in library on this topic: 1 (referenced)
Source: Review_of_tennis_ball_aerodynamics.pdf (historical background)
Suggested repo location: new article history/Rough-and-Smooth.md
What the books say
Historical tiebreaker convention: when rackets were strung by looping side strings around the main strings, the resulting surface was uneven. Players would "call rough or smooth" — whichever side they ended up with after winning the racket spin at the start of a match. The phrase survives in tennis vocabulary even though modern rackets no longer have a rough / smooth distinction.
Why the repo doesn't have this
Not in the repo. A 5-minute cultural trivia article.
3. Junior red / orange / green / yellow ball progression (ITF Tennis 10s)
Books in library on this topic: 7
Source: Coaching_Tennis_Successfully.docx, ACQUIRING_VISION_SKILLS_ESSENTIAL_FOR_TENNIS.pdf, ITF_-_Coaching_and_Science_Review.pdf, Revolution_Tennis_Vision_drills.pdf, Technical_Tennis.docx
Suggested repo location: new section junior/ITF-Tennis-10s-Ball-Progression.md
What the books say
The ITF Tennis 10s curriculum stages junior development by ball compression and court size:
- Red ball — age 5–8, 25 % court, foam / low-compression ball
- Orange ball — age 8–10, 50 % court, low-compression ball
- Green ball — age 10–11, full court, low-compression ball
- Yellow ball — age 11+, full court, standard ITF-approved ball
Each stage has its own rally-length target, racket size, and recommended training drill set.
Why the repo doesn't have this
The repo has high-performance-toc and starting-kids-right-the-forehand
articles but no formal color-ball progression. Worth a dedicated section.
4. Open-skill sport pedagogy (Wayne Elderton)
Books in library on this topic: 2
Source: LEARN_TENNIS_AS_AN_OPEN_SKILL_SPORT-_Wayne_Elderton.pdf, Movement-for-Tennis.pdf
Suggested repo location: new section coaching/Open-Skill-Sport-Pedagogy.md
What the books say
Open-skill vs closed-skill sport distinction:
- Closed skill — predictable environment (golf swing, free throw). Practice the same motor pattern repeatedly.
- Open skill — unpredictable environment (tennis rally). Practice reading the environment and adapting.
Elderton's framework: tennis is a paradigmatic open-skill sport. The ecological-dynamics approach (perception-action coupling, constraints-led coaching) replaces the traditional techniques-first pedagogy with a constraints-first one.
Why the repo doesn't have this
The repo has agentic-strategy but not this specific pedagogical
framework. The constraints-led approach is increasingly the dominant
framework in tennis coaching research.
5. Open Era timeline
Books in library on this topic: 15
Source: Brief-History-of-Tennis.docx, Advantage_Canada__a_tennis_centenary.pdf, multiple player biographies including Carlos_Alcaraz.docx and Tennis_Books_Collection_Trailblazers_-_Billie_Jean_King.pdf
Suggested repo location: new section history/Open-Era-Timeline.md
What the books say
The Open Era began in 1968 when Grand Slam tournaments allowed professional players to compete alongside amateurs. Key milestones:
- 1968 — first Open Slam (Rod Laver wins the Grand Slam)
- 1968–1977 — early Open Era, dominated by Laver, Rosewall, Smith
- 1977–1983 — Borg / Connors / McEnroe era
- 1984–1994 — Lendl / Becker / Edberg / Chang era
- 1995–2003 — Sampras / Agassi era
- 2003–2016 — Federer / Nadal / Djokovic "Big Three" era
- 2017–present — post-Big-Three, Alcaraz / Sinner era
The repo has player profiles but no chronological timeline tying them together.
Why the repo doesn't have this
Not in the repo. A 30-minute timeline article.
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