It’s normally the return, but this season it was the serve that carried Rafael Nadal back to the pinnacle of our sport. Nadal finished 2017 as World No. 1 for the fourth time in his career. An Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers analysis of his service patterns reveals a key change that took him from personal worst-to-first marks from 2016 to 2017. The Spaniard finished first on tour with second serve points won this season at 61.5 per cent (1076/1749), recording his personal best in this specific metric since emerging onto the tour in 2003. It’s a remarkable improvement, considering he won a career low (tied with 2004) 54 per cent in 2016. [ALSO LIKE] Nadal’s second serve dominance in...
Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers shows how Rafael Nadal went from worst to first in 2017 after making a radical serving pattern switch. Getty Images photo.
Rafael Nadal, 10-time winner of the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell, was honored by tournament officials with the Conde de Godo trophy to commemorate his career event achievements on Monday. Albert Agusti, president of the Real Club de Tenis Barcelona 1899, and Javier Godo, Count of Godo in Barcelona, traveled to the Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar in Manacor, Spain, to award the World No. 1 player with his second silver replica of the trophy. "There's no one better fit to receive this award in his own museum than Nadal," Agusti said. [ALSO LIKE] Nadal received his first replica of the Conde de Godo trophy in 2009 following five consecutive Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell triumphs. In addition to his 10 Barcelona Open Banc...
Continuing our Season In Review series, ATPWorldTour.com looks at the best two Grand Slam matches of the 2017 season. 2. Del Potro d. Thiem, US Open, Round of 16 - 4 September 2017 (Match Stats) Juan Martin del Potro appeared far closer to a plane ride back to Argentina than he did to a spot in the quarter-finals in Flushing Meadows when he faced the up-and-coming sixth seed, Dominic Thiem, on Grandstand in the fourth round at the US Open. Thiem dominated the first two sets in just over an hour, and it seemed a lethargic Del Potro was wilting away — and quickly — due to a flu-like illness. There was no second wind in sight for the ‘Tower...
Continuing our Season In Review series, ATPWorldTour.com looks at the third through fifth best Grand Slam matches of the 2017 season. 5. Wawrinka def. Murray, Roland Garros, Semi-finals - 9 June 2017 (Match Stats) Andy Murray and Stan Wawrinka have been top contenders at the Grand Slams for years, and you'd expect the same knowing they were the first and third seeds, respectively, at Roland Garros. But neither star was in top form when they arrived on Paris’ terre battue this season. The Scot was just 5-4 on clay heading into the second major of the year, and he was also trying to find his game after dealing with an elbow injury. “I came in playing garbage,” Murray joked after...