Berrettini Best Under Pressure On Serve
Matteo Berrettini conquered adversity better than any server on tour in 2021.
An Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers analysis of players holding serve when trailing in the point score up to Deuce identified Berrettini as the only player to feature in the leading three positions in all six point scores. The data set is focused on holding from 0/15, 0/30, 0/40, 15/30, 15/40, and 30/40. It includes players who competed in a minimum of 10 matches in the 2021 season.
Berrettini impressively led the Tour in three of the six serving categories and ended the season fourth best in Service Games Won at 89.6 per cent. Below is an analysis of holding serve in 2021 when trailing in the point score up to Deuce.
Holding From 0/15 (Tour Average = 62.3%)
1. J. Isner – 84.3% (113/134)
2. M. Berrettini – 80.4% (176/219)
T3 N. Djokovic – 76.0% (171/225)
T3 R. Federer – 76.0% (38/50)
John Isner performed best when trailing 0/15, holding 84.3 per cent of the time. Berrettini was second at 80.4 per cent, and Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer tied for third place at 76.0 per cent. There were only 14 players who managed to win more than 70 per cent of their service games from 0/15.
Holding From 0/30 (Tour Average = 36.9%)
1. N. Djokovic – 61.5% (48/78)
2. M. Berrettini – 61.3% (38/62)
3. S. Tsitsipas – 59.1% (52/88)
Djokovic (61.5%) and Berrettini (61.3%) were the only two players to push above the 60 per cent threshold holding serve from 0/30. Stefanos Tsitsipas came in third place, powered by his strong clay-court season. The Greek held serve from 0/30 a stunning 65.6 per cent (21/32) on clay in 2021 from 28 matches. That performance was notably higher than Rafael Nadal, who was in second place on clay holding from 0/30 at 59.5 per cent (25/42).
Holding From 0/40 (Average = 15.3%)
1. M. Berrettini – 38.1% (8/21)
2. J. Isner – 36.4% (4/11)
3. G. Dimitrov – 35.7% (5/14)
Berrettini fell behind 0/40 21 times in the 2021 season and managed to hold on eight (38.1%) of those occasions. Isner (36.4%) and Grigor Dimitrov (35.7%) came second and third. Cameron Norrie fell behind 0-40 56 times in 2021, which was the most of any player on tour. He was only able to come back and hold serve four times.
Holding From 15/30 (Average = 55.7%)
1. M. Berrettini – 73.3% (99/135)
2. R. Federer – 72.5% (29/40)
3. J. Isner – 72.5% (58/80)
Berrettini was the Tour leader holding from 15/30 this season, holding 73.3 per cent of the time. Roger Federer and Isner were tied for second at 72.5%. The other two players to hold from north of 70% were Kevin Anderson (72.2%) and Milos Raonic (70.4%).
Holding From 15/40 (Average = 27.2%)
1. D. Shapovalov – 51.4% (37/72)
2. A. Popyrin – 46.7% (28/60)
3. M. Berrettini – 46.3% (25/54)
Denis Shapovalov was the only player on Tour to drop into a 15/40 hole and hold serve more than he lost it. The 22-year-old Canadian held an astounding 51.4 per cent (37/72) of the time. In second place was another 22-year-old player in Aussie, Alexei Popyrin, who held 46.7 per cent of the time from 15/40. Berrettini rounded out the top three, holding 46.3 per cent. The other five players to reach the 40 per cent threshold were Federer (45.0%), Thiago Monteiro (44.7%), Dominic Thiem (43.3%), Philipp Kohlschreiber (42.3%), Raonic (40.0%) and Isner (40.0%).
Holding From 30/40 (Average 44.8%)
1. M. Berrettini – 61.8% (63/102)
2. D. Shapovalov – 59.8% (76/127)
3. R. Federer – 58.8% (20/34)
Berrettini was the only player to hold serve above the 60 per cent threshold when trailing 30/40, holding 61.8 per cent of the time. Shapovalov, who led the 15/40 category, came in second at 59.8 per cent, with Federer finishing third at 58.8 per cent (20/34).
Berrettini finished the 2021 season at No. 7 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, which is also his career-high ranking. Serving his way out of trouble was a big part of his 2021 success and will also form as a foundation to keep climbing the FedEx ATP Rankings in 2022.