Imagine only having to win the first point of your service game, and you are basically a lock to hold. That was Alexander Zverev in Rome last week. Zverev, 20, won the Internazionali BNL d’Italia - his first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title, and third overall title this season. An Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers analysis of Zverev’s maiden Masters uncovers complete dominance on serve on the clay courts at the Foro Italico. Zverev had 68 service games in six matches in Rome. Almost 80 per cent of the time (54), he surged ahead 15/0. Of the 54 service games where he reached 15/0, he won 52 of them. That 96 per cent win rate was higher than his...
What happens if you take a 50-50 battle, and tip it just five percentage points in your favour? You become the No. 1 player in the world. An Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers analysis of year-end No. 1 players since 1991, when statistics were first recorded in tennis, uncovers that reaching the pinnacle of our sport is predicated on winning with a lot smaller margin of victory than we realise. The following breakdown shows how many times a player finished as year-end No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, and the percentage of points he won that season. 1991-2016: Year-End No. 1 Winning Percentage of Points Played Points: Winning Percentage Year-End No. 1 Total 55% 12 54% 7 53% 4...
The Top 10 are under siege. As a collective unit, they are not enjoying the same success this season as they did last year when attempting to win the opening point of their service games. An Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers analysis of the current Top 10 in the Emirates ATP Rankings uncovers an almost two percentage-point drop in the Top 10 forging ahead to 15/0 compared to falling behind 0/15 when serving. In fact, eight of the current Top 10 players are performing worse during the opening point of their service games this year compared to last year. The standout is current World No. 5 Rafael Nadal, who has improved almost five percentage points in 2017 compared to 2016....
Is there any real difference between 30/30 and deuce? On the surface, both scorelines clearly show competitors are even in the point score, and both scorelines sit just two points away from a player clinching the game. But once you dig a little deeper, subtle differences do emerge, with 30/30 occurring more frequently, while deuce adds two extra points of strategy and countermoves to the equation. An Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers analysis of the current Top 10 in the Emirates ATP Rankings uncovers varying degrees of performance when the players are serving and receiving at 30/30 and deuce. 2017 Top 10 Average Holding Serve Overall, the Top 10 players average holding serve from both scorelines at almost identical percentages....
The Mediterranean shimmers at one end of the court. Sheer rock cliffs tower behind the elegant clubhouse at the other end. In the middle is a court of clay. Enter, Rafael Nadal. Nadal is a staggering 58-4 at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters since 2003, winning nine titles and $5.5 million from just this one stop on tour. Can he win it again in 2017? To know what’s coming in the future, it is best to connect the clay court dots from the past. An Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers analysis of his successful 2016 campaign, when he dropped only two sets en route to his ninth Monte-Carlo title, identifies four key areas of dominance. 1. Break Points Converting a break...