This study, co-authored by Jeong Yeol Kim, David Sungho Park, and Chungeun Yoon, analyzes doubles tennis using an economic framework. In many team competitions, teams are often formed by pairing the 1st-ranked player with the 4th-ranked player and the 2nd-ranked player with the 3rd-ranked player in order to balance team strength. Even when such balancing is intended, however, it is not immediately clear which team is more likely to win in an actual match.

Using a game-theoretic approach, the three professors from KDI School of Public Policy and Management derive the equilibrium outcomes of this setting and show that the 1–4 team is slightly more likely to outperform the 2–3 team. Empirical analysis using real match data further supports this theoretical prediction.

This study demonstrates that economics provides a useful analytical tool for understanding and predicting outcomes in everyday situations. It is also meaningful as a collaborative research effort among KDI School faculty members that resulted in a published academic paper.

Link: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2773161826000030