The role of the first-mover advantage for long-term success in tennis

Purpose This study investigates whether cross-country success in individual sports, here tennis, is characterized by a performance pattern consistent with the concept of first-mover advantage.Methodology We analyzed 33 annual observation periods from 1992 to 2024, whereby we employed qualitative, quantitative, and aggregated indicators to measure sporting success. The founding year of the national tennis associations served as the indicator for examining market entry. The results were modelled using two-stage fixed effects regressions.Findings We find significant evidence of a performance pattern aligned with the first-mover advantage concept for quantitative (p = .008), qualitative (p = .004), and aggregated success (p = .001) within the ATP top 300 ranking.Practical Implications The results advance understanding of factors associated with tennis success, identify the possibility of shared management characteristics between sport and business, and provide the basis for future success-related implications.Research Contribution The study contributes to research on success in tennis by identifying an empirical performance pattern consistent with the first-mover advantage concept while also strengthening previous findings on macroeconomic factors associated with success.Originality/Value This research provides the first empirical analysis of the first-mover advantage concept in individual sports, questioning its applicability to sport through multiple success metrics.