Talking Tennis with… Jack Edward, On The Line tennis analyst

The brilliant tennis analyst and podcaster gives us the inside story of his tennis life, and explains where club players so often go wrong…

”…Players get obsessed with the technicalities of their strokes when in reality, it makes up a mere 20% of what can be taught. Shot placement, shot-preparation, recovery positioning, fitness, reading ball characteristics, footwork, rally dynamics, tactics… There’s a whole world of absolutely fascinating teaching points…”

Jack Edward is the very acute analytical brain behind On The Line, in which he and his podcast guests take regular deep dives into ATP and WTA tennis matches, explaining the strategic undercurrents and tactical twists and turns that determine victory and defeat.

With a background in engineering, Jack brings a unique take to tennis analysis, providing insights and angles that you just don’t find in standard TV tennis punditry. He’s also a coach, helping juniors and adults at the grassroots level to improve their tennis.

We were keen to hear more, so here’s our Q&A…

Tell us about your tennis background - when did you start playing?

It took me a long time to get tennis. I tried playing as a 10-year-old on some rough blaise courts in Glasgow but I didn’t find it entertaining in the slightest (Zelda was definitely far more gripping at that age). 

Eventually, I was inspired by Scotland’s greatest ever sporting export in Andy Murray. I started hitting regularly at 17 years old - I could run for days (long distance running was my only regular exercise as a kid) but my technical abilities were shabby and unpolished.

To this day, a version of that 17-year-old remains. My game is cleaner but my hand-eye-coordination is lacking the precision of someone that’s held a racket since they were five and I’ve always found it tough to commit technical improvements to muscle memory.

Every cloud though… Though I arrived late, choosing tennis naturally has built up a deep love and appreciation for the sport within me.

When did you realise your talent for analysing matches and players?...How did On the Line come about?

After completing a Masters in Product Design Engineering and spending two and a half years in the field, I listened to my gut. 

This wasn’t what I wanted to do. I wanted to do something - anything - in tennis. So I chucked engineering and moved back home without an entirely clear game plan. 

From there, it all happened very quickly. I knew a guy at my club that wrote about tennis on the side - what better place to start as I wanted to write about tennis. Hell, I’d do it for free (I got paid albeit very little). 

As my portfolio grew, I consistently found myself gravitating towards statistics and strategy, analysing matches with tactics and numbers in mind - I’d left engineering but it hadn’t left me.

So much of the groundwork was already there. I had already watched thousands of hours of tennis and I had been working with numbers and statistics for the best part of eight years.

I was writing analytical pieces that didn’t exist elsewhere. After a few months of writing for this publication, the next step seemed obvious - fill the gap in the market for properly thoughtful and in-depth pieces on strategy in recent tennis matches through a dedicated medium. Et voila! On The Line was born.

What’s your favourite bit of analysis so far?

The word “talent” used in the previous question is perhaps too flattering. Some of the matches I’ve analysed take a lot of time and effort pouring over footage to work out. 

But the pay-off is oh-so worth it. I am genuinely fascinated by and very proud of some of the information I’ve unearthed. 

So my favourite article? Very difficult to choose but one of my favourites at least has to be my analysis of Nadal’s win over Medvedev at this year’s Australian Open. It took a long time for me to digest that match but I was eventually able to condense it into four (somewhat) digestible acts.

You’re also a Level 2 qualified LTA coach. Tell us a bit about your coaching…

I may have been bold to quit my job in engineering and start writing about tennis but I wasn’t insane. I knew I needed a sure-fire way to make money in the short-term and a back-up plan in the long-term.

The more I played at my local club, the more I realised the work for tennis coaching was there if I wanted it. When I found out how easy it was to become a qualified coach, it was a no-brainer. My game can’t really keep up with my knowledge of the sport but that isn’t a crutch for me. A coach’s ability to play does not have to have a heavy impact on their ability to teach. Players get obsessed with the technicalities of their strokes when in reality, it makes up a mere 20% of what can be taught. Shot placement, shot-preparation, recovery positioning, fitness, reading ball characteristics, footwork, rally dynamics, tactics… There’s a whole world of absolutely fascinating teaching points.

I teach juniors most frequently but slowly but surely, I’m starting to add adult classes to my schedule.

What are the most common problems you tend to help players with, as a coach?

Probably tactics on a doubles court. I teach players where to stand, when to take on the volley, what to do with the volley, what to do from the baseline etc. You’d be surprised how many players don’t have a clue!

What about your own tennis playing… do you play competitively?

I play box leagues singles and doubles at our club and competitive county league doubles.

Claim to fame this season? A decent 6-2 record in the West of Scotland summer doubles fourth division (consistently around 6-7 UTR) with my partner Phil and winning the first-division box league doubles with my mum (nothing like winning with a loved one!).

Claim to shame this season? Losing my last two first-division box league singles finals in a row in match tiebreaks (I’m prone to nerves!).

Are you a racquet-smasher or do you play with a Federer-like calm and serenity?

I want to be Federer but I’m definitely Andy Murray.

Who are your tennis heroes?

As I said in my Popcorn Tennis origin story: “In the Golden Era of tennis, when the three greatest players of all time ruled their respective surfaces, a mere mortal from Dunblane cussed and scrapped his way to world #1, cementing his own spot among tennis’s elite.

It’s all those memories of David beating Goliath that are eternally etched into my memories, that will always inspire and motivate me to reach for more.”

What one thing would you change about tennis?

Ease of accessibility. I hear casual tennis fans complain about this all the time. Unless you’re committed to the sport, you’re unlikely to tune in to anything besides the bigger tournaments (there is a slew of Wimbledon-only-watchers in the UK) due to it being broadcast in very select places.

Tennis is still a relatively small sport - we need to do what we can to help it grow!

What has tennis taught you that has helped in you in other areas of your life?

Learn from your losses. Failure doesn’t have to be a bad thing.

What are your ambitions for On the Line?

I am hoping to continue to grow “On The Line”’s following to create a vast community of tennis nerds that share my fascination for the minutiae of the sport. 

Just gotta keep plugging away…

On The Line provides at least ten in-depth analytical articles and podcast episodes on the ATP and WTA Tours every month. There are free and paid subscription options - and it is highly recommended!

Check out On The Line here and follow Jack on Twitter and Facebook.