Testing some common tennis hypotheses: Four years at Wimbledon

In this paper we investigate the truth (more often the untruth) of seventeen commonly heard statements about tennis. We base our analysis on point-by-point data of almost 500 singles matches played at Wimbledon, 1992-1995. The seventeen hypotheses under consideration are:
1 A player is as good as his/her second service;
2 There exists a psychological advantage to serve first in a set;
3 Few breaks occur during the first few games in a match;
4 Serving with new balls provides a slight advantage;
5 In the 1995 Wimbledon Championships softer balls were used than in previous years. This has
resulted in less service dominance;
6 After a double fault most players make sure their next first service is in;
7 An ace is worth more than one point;
8 Good players make sure their first service is in at game point or break point;
9 The real champions play their best tennis at the big points;
10 The 7th game is the most important game in the set;
11 All points are equally important;
12 After breaking your opponent's service there is an increased chance that you will loose your own
service;
13 After missing break points in the previous game there is an increased chance that you will loose
your own service;
14 After winning a set there is an increased chance that you will loose the first game in the next set;
15 One break is enough to win the set;
16 In long matches the dominance of the service decreases;
17 In the final set the player who has won the previous set has the advantage.