The shot gets all the love.

That's the way it is in the bottom-line business of sports. The sweet pass that leads to the overtime goal? The crushing block that springs the running back for a touchdown? The gritty foul balls that allow an at-bat to blossom into a run-scoring double?

No one really cares about what came first. To the eye of the casual fan, this is especially true in tennis.

The importance of court coverage

Think of the Olympic sprinter. Pure speed is the only concern. Point A, the starting blocks, to Point B, the finish line. For the 100 meters, it's a straight line, the 200-meters involves a single curve. No major changes of direction; fast-forward only.

Now, consider the degree of difficulty involved in the tennis player's craft: Elevate for a serve, rotate through the ball, check your forward momentum, push off to the left to retrieve the return, stop, execute a swinging backhand, start the feet moving to the right, with chopping steps to get back to the middle of the court, recognize a drop shot, sprint forward, angling to the right, decelerate and chip a forehand into the open court. And that's merely a five-stroke rally.

Source: ESPN