PARIS — The ultimate contradiction in tennis is the unforced error.

This statistic suggests players should not commit errors, but tennis is a game of errors much more than winners.

Entering the singles semifinals at the French Open this year, 67 percent of the men’s points and 69 percent of the women’s points ended in errors.

But next to nothing happens in a match without some form of pressure. A player marginally leans to the left in the middle of a point, and the opponent catches it in his or her peripheral vision and changes a shot at the last second seeking a strategic advantage. That is labeled an unforced error. It’s not. There is always something forcing or influencing shot selection.

Or say a player struggles with slow, high balls in the middle of the court. They look easy, but they are missed a lot because players make contact high, out of their strike zone, and there is no power to work with. Is that an unforced error, or just smart strategy by the opponent?