Obituary: Leo Levin
The ITF was saddened to learn of the death of Leo Levin, whose pioneering work in the realm of tennis data analysis helped to shape the way the sport is interpreted, and enhanced the tennis lexicon.
For almost four decades, Levin logged and analysed the statistical data of the sport, providing insight for players, coaches, broadcasters and the media that in turn developed into a shorthand for where matches were won and lost.
In 1982 he coined the term ‘unforced error’, describing a shot which lands out or in the net when a player is not “under any physical pressure as a result of the placement, pace, power or spin of their opponent’s stroke.” The term, now ubiquitous in tennis analysis, was one of three outcomes Levin defined for any point, along with ‘winner’ and ‘forced error’. The concept of forced-versus-unforced errors ranked as one of his proudest achievements.
Levin began to delve into the statistical analysis of the sport during his time on the tennis team at Foothill College in California, where he was a teammate of Brad Gilbert. He charted his teammates’ matches to provide insight on which of their tactics were most effective, and those that listened found themselves beating opponents they had never beaten before.
“Leo would string my rackets so perfectly,” said Gilbert, who shared two seasons on the team with Levin from 1980-81. “I played a practice match with Scott Davis in 1981 where Leo did all of the stats. He was so ahead of his time, a tennis genius.”
After leaving college in 1982, Levin joined Palo Alto start-up CompuTennis, where he worked on the first computerised tennis statistics system. Originally designed as a coaching aid, CompuTennis revolutionised the interpretation of matches for fans as well as players, and by the mid-1980s Levin found himself sharing space in broadcast booths at the Grand Slams, feeding statistical snippets to the commentary teams to aid their coverage.
In 1988 Levin became the first employee at IDS – now known as SMT, or SportsMEDIA Technology – where he worked for the rest of his life. Today the company covers 60 sports and over 20,000 events annually, including the Olympic Games and the Super Bowl. Using software developed by Levin and his team, every serve, return and shot in tennis can be tracked and logged, allowing for analysis of, for example, the precise direction a player is most effective in hitting the ball.
Those who met and worked with Levin will attest to his kindly nature and generosity of spirit, every bit a match for the depth of his tennis acumen. He was perpetually armed with a wealth of stories, one-liners – “On a scale from one to ten, I’m a Levin” – and his trademark trays of brownies distributed to all who happened to pass his desk. Nicknamed ‘the Doctor’ by broadcaster Mary Carillo, he was a popular figure within tennis circles whose absence will be keenly felt by all who knew him.
“Leo Levin was a true champion of our sport,” Billie Jean King wrote in tribute. “He worked tirelessly behind the scenes, always had the answers and made others look good. Our conversations at Wimbledon with Mary Carillo are some of my fondest memories.”
Chris Evert added: “No one loved the sport as much as he did, no one was as generous with his research as he was. I will miss his humor, his wit, and his smile.”
“Heartbreaking news,” Tracy Austin wrote. “Leo was THE trailblazer for stats in the tennis world. Leo’s understanding of the game made him invaluable to TV networks and commentators. Brilliant, kind – RIP, Leo.”
“The SMT family is grieving the loss of a friend, a lynchpin of our company, and a legend in the tennis world,” the company wrote on Twitter. “Leo Levin was an incredible talent and his death leaves an immeasurable loss. He will be greatly missed.”
Leo Levin died suddenly at the age of 62 on December 19, 2020. He is survived by his wife, Terri Coleman; daughter, Anna; mother, Marilyn Wellsandt; sister, Maureen Julin; her husband, Doug and their son, Jeremy.