Start at the end.
Start with knowing exactly what happens at the pinnacle of our sport in a clay-court final, and it becomes much clearer what you need to focus on in practice to also reach these lofty heights.
In other words, let data from the match court make the practice court smarter.
Rafael Nadal defeated Alexander Zverev 6-1, 1-6, 6-3 in a riveting Internazionali BNL d’Italia final on Sunday. Zverev had a real chance at victory, up an early break in the third set, before rain threw a curveball into the match, allowing Nadal to reset and win the final five games.
It was a high-quality final, with several long, grueling rallies bringing the Italian crowd to their feet in appreciation of the effort and impressive shot-making of both players. There were 24 rallies that went at least double digits (10 shots), totaling 313 shots in the court by both players.
Was this where the match was won by Nadal? No. Not even close.
Our eyes remember the long, spectacular rallies, but quickly forget the short rallies – even dismissing them as not important to the final outcome.
Make no mistake about it, Nadal found his way to the finish line first by forging his advantage in the short rallies much more than the longer ones. It’s important to note that rally length is defined by the ball landing in the court.
On clay in Rome, with Nadal and Zverev competing for two hours and nine minutes, the most common rally length in the final was just one shot. A one-shot rally, which was either an ace, service winner, or missed return, occurred 23 times. The next closest were three- and four-shot rallies, which happened 15 times each.
Nobody in the packed house at the raucous Foro Italico would guess that one shot in the court happened more than anything else. Those points are quickly forgotten. In fact, a zero- and one-shot rally happened more than all 10+ shot rallies combined (25 points to 24 points).
Read & Watch: Rafa Reigns In Rome
There were 791 shots hit in the court in the final, with 60 per cent (478) occurring in single-digit rallies, and 40 per cent (313) hit in double-digit rallies of 10 shots or more. It’s completely counter-intuitive, but there were more shots hit in shorter rallies than longer ones.
The average rally length for the final was 5.8 shots, meaning each player put right around three shots in the court. It’s not as many as our imagination would guess.
We also learn from the following table that the “halo effect” of the serve lasts for just one shot after the serve on clay before an even baseline duel unfolds. That explains why a rally length of three shots in the court happens more than two. The power of the serve makes the ensuing Serve +1 groundstroke (third shot) a very dominant force in the rally.
2018 Rome Final: Rally Length Totals
|
Rally Length (Balls In) |
TOTAL |
|
0 (double faults) |
2 |
|
1 |
23 |
|
2 |
9 |
|
3 |
15 |
|
4 |
15 |
|
5 |
14 |
|
6 |
8 |
|
7 |
10 |
|
8 |
9 |
|
9 |
8 |
|
10 |
5 |
|
11 |
5 |
|
12 |
6 |
|
13 |
0 |
|
14 |
2 |
|
15 |
0 |
|
16 |
2 |
|
17 |
0 |
|
18 |
2 |
|
19 |
0 |
|
20 |
2 |
|
TOTAL |
137 |
The following breakdown identifies how Nadal was far more dominant in the shorter rallies than the longer ones.
Rallies of single digits (0-9 shots)
Nadal won 62
Zverev won 51
Nadal was +9
Rallies of double digits (10+)
Nadal won 13
Zverev won 11
Nadal was +2
A common view in our sport is that Nadal becomes more dominant the longer the rally goes, but that definitely did not play out in the Rome final. Indeed, what we find in our sport is that the longer the rally goes, the more even it naturally becomes.
The Rome final can be a roadmap for the practice court for players at all levels of our game. First-strike tennis, consisting of shorter points, happens way more in a match than we realise. Consistency, shot tolerance and grinding get more respect than they deserve. It’s time for the serve, return and Serve +1 strategies to carve out more time in practice.
Just one shot in the court rules our sport much more than we ever thought.
It’s only the fifth month of the 2018 ATP World Tour season, but already No. 1 in the ATP Rankings has changed hands four times.
Rafael Nadal started the season at the top spot. Roger Federer took over on 19 February, then Nadal again on 2 April, only for Federer, once more, to take back control on 14 May. Nadal wrestled back No. 1 on Monday.
The four changes at No. 1 this season are the most since 2003, when there were five. The all-time record for most changes is 10, which happened in 1983.
No. 1 Rafael Nadal, +1
Nadal is back at No. 1 in the ATP Rankings. It’s a familiar spot for the Spaniard, who’s beginning his 174th week at the top spot.
The 31-year-old won his eighth Internazionali BNL d’Italia title on Sunday, beating Alexander Zverev for the fifth time in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series (5-0). Nadal was dominant in nearly every area during the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament, but especially when returning. The Spaniard won 45 per cent of his return games (22/49), including five of 11 against Zverev.
No. 4 Marin Cilic, +1
Before Rome, the Croatian was 0-5 in Masters 1000 quarter-finals on clay. Make that 1-5. Cilic snapped his losing streak in the Rome quarter-finals against Spain’s Pablo Carreno Busta before falling to eventual finalist Alexander Zverev in the semi-finals.
The 29-year-old Cilic is now one spot away from matching his career-high ATP Ranking of No. 3, which he held as recently as 22 April.
No. 12 Diego Schwartzman, +3
In a sport increasingly played by men taller than 6’3”, the 5’7” Schwartzman should serve as an inspiration to anyone looking to pick up a racquet. The Argentine is at a career-high ATP Ranking of No. 12 after making the second round in Rome (l. to Paire).
Schwartzman has been on an upward trend all season. He started 2018 at No. 26.
Read More: Five Things We Learned In Rome
No. 17 Kyle Edmund, +2
The top Brit is another player who just seems to continue climbing the ATP Rankings. Edmund set a new career-high ATP Ranking by making the third round in Rome (l. to Zverev).
Two weeks ago, at the Mutua Madrid Open, the Brit reached his maiden Masters 1000 quarter-final (l. to Shapovalov). The 23-year-old Edmund is now 17-9 on the year. He finished 2017 an even 30-30.
View The ATP Rankings
No. 19 Fabio Fognini, +2
The home crowd was loving it. Fabio Fognini, Italy’s No. 1, was up a set against seven-time champion Rafael Nadal in the Rome quarter-finals. Fognini’s lead didn’t last – Nadal advanced 4-6, 6-1, 6-2 – but the 30-year-old Fognini delivered his best Internazionali BNL d’Italia.
The Sanremo native had never reached the quarter-finals in Rome, but beat Gael Monfils, No. 8 Dominic Thiem and Peter Gojowczyk of Germany to earn the quarter-final matchup against Nadal.
Rafael Nadal survived a stunning fightback from Alexander Zverev to win a record eighth Italian Open.
Nadal cruised to the first set before defending champion Zverev won nine of the next 11 games to take the second set 6-1 and lead 3-1 in the decider.
But the Spaniard turned the match around following a lengthy rain delay and closed out a 6-1 1-6 6-3 victory.
The win will see Nadal regain the world number one ranking before the French Open which starts next Sunday.
Roger Federer had regained top spot in the rankings when Nadal lost to Dominic Thiem at the Madrid Masters last week, his only defeat on clay this season.
Nadal has now won three clay-court titles from four tournaments in the lead-up to his bid for an 11th Roland Garros title in Paris.
Nadal cruised to the first set in just 32 minutes and had looked on course for a routine victory against in-form Zverev, who had won 14 matches in a row and 30 matches in total this season – more than any other player.
But the 31-year-old made a number of uncharacteristic errors in the second set while world number three Zverev upped his game to level at 1-1.
The German, 21, broke Nadal’s serve in the opening game of the deciding set and maintained that break to lead 3-1 going into an 11-minute rain delay.
Nadal won the game after the players returned only for play to be halted by a second, longer rain delay, after which he won four games in a row to clinch the match.
The win is Nadal’s 78th ATP Tour title and takes him clear of John McEnroe into fourth place in the list of most men’s titles won in the Open era.
It also extends Nadal’s impressive record in Rome where he has won the title more than any other player with Serbia’s Novak Djokovic second on four titles.
| Most titles in the Open era | |
|---|---|
| Jimmy Connors | 109 |
| Roger Federer | 97 |
| Ivan Lendl | 94 |
| Rafael Nadal | 78 |
| John McEnroe | 77 |
Russell Fuller, BBC tennis correspondent
Zverev was just three games away from a first win over Nadal – and a hugely significant one, on clay, so close to the French Open – when rain dragged the players off court.
Nadal barely put a foot wrong on the resumption, winning five games in a row to make sure he will be the world number one as well as the top seed at Roland Garros.
But make no mistake, Nadal was seriously rattled by the way Zverev played – the German won nine games out of 11 from the start of the second set.
Nadal adopted his customary deep returning position, and at times was dominated by the German’s big serve and crisp, flat, ball striking.
They will be the top two seeds at Roland Garros, and may well meet in the final in Paris.
First, though, Zverev must survive the first four rounds, something he is yet to achieve at any Grand Slam.
World number 22 Milos Raonic has pulled out of next week’s French Open with injury.
Raonic, 27, has struggled with a knee issue in recent weeks and withdrew from the Monte Carlo Masters last month.
The Canadian reached the 2016 Wimbledon final, losing to Andy Murray, while his best result in Paris came in 2014 when he reached the quarter-finals.
“It is with a heavy heart that I am withdrawing from Roland Garros,” Raonic said on Twitter.
“I know I need to continue working hard to put myself in the best position when I step out on the court.
“Thank you all for your support and see you soon on the grass.”
The French Open, the second Grand Slam of the year, starts in Paris on 27 May.
Raonic is due to play at the Fever-Tree Championships at Queen’s, which starts on 18 June, while Wimbledon begins on 2 July.
That did not take long. One week after relinquishing the top spot in the ATP Rankings, Rafael Nadal will make his return to No. 1.
Nadal is set to embark on his 174th week at the pinnacle of men’s tennis after ousting Alexander Zverev 6-1, 1-6, 6-3, in a pulsating final at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia on Sunday. He capped another dominant week on the dirt, capturing his third ATP World Tour title in less than a month.
After five years, the Spaniard is back in the winners’ circle in Rome. He notched an unprecedented eighth crown at the iconic Foro Italico, adding to victories in 2005-07, 2009-10 and 2012-13. Nadal was at his ruthless best once again and following a quarter-final defeat to Dominic Thiem last week in Madrid, he was even more determined to lift another trophy.
Nadal also added a slice of history with his victory in the Eternal City. The 31-year-old now stands alone in fourth place on the Open Era titles list, adding a 78th piece of silverware to pass John McEnroe. Only Jimmy Connors (109), Roger Federer (97) and Ivan Lendl (94) remain ahead of him.
Open Era Title Leaders
| Player | Open Era Titles |
| (1) Jimmy Connors | 109 |
| (2) Roger Federer | 97 |
| (3) Ivan Lendl | 94 |
| (4) Rafael Nadal | 78 |
| (5) John McEnroe | 77 |
Zverev sprinted out of the gates on an overcast late afternoon in the Italian capital, snatching an immediate break in the first game. The German looked to continue to play aggressive, first-strike tennis, which is exactly what saw him win 13 straight matches and reach consecutive ATP World Tour Masters 1000 finals.
The Foro Italico is Nadal’s playground and he would strike back with considerable aplomb. The Spaniard broke right back to love with a sublime drop shot, and he would secure another break with a cross-court forehand winner two games later. Zverev had no answer for Nadal’s penetrating groundstrokes and devastating return game.
But Zverev would respond in kind to open the second set, suddenly raising his level and out of nowhere the 21-year-old reeled off five straight games. If you turned away for a minute, you missed it. Matching Nadal’s pace and depth off the ground, the World No. 3 fired back to force a decider. It ended Nadal’s streak of 17 consecutive sets won in clay-court finals.
And as Zverev carried the momentum into the third set with another break, the drama built to a crescendo as the skies closed and rain began to fall on Centrale. A pair of delays suspended play for a combined 55 minutes, with Zverev leading 3-2. But the rain would dampen the German’s momentum, and Nadal snatched the initiative upon resumption. Zverev would not win another game. The World No. 1 drew level and grabbed another break for 5-3, before closing out his eighth Rome title with a brilliant drop volley winner.
Nadal secured the title after two hours and nine minutes, firing 19 total winners, including nine off his backhand wing. Zverev, meanwhile, launched 21 winners, but made 28 unforced errors. The Spaniard dominated the shorter rallies, claiming the majority under five shots by a count of 33-25.
Victory in Rome was well deserved for the now 32-time Masters 1000 champion. Earlier in the week, Nadal got his revenge over Denis Shapovalov after falling to the surging teen in Montreal last year, and he would overcome home favourite Fabio Fognini from a set down. On Saturday, longtime rival Novak Djokovic, who defeated Nadal in his two final losses in Rome, was ousted in straight sets by the Spaniard.
Despite the loss, Zverev will ascend to the top of the ATP Race To London standings on Monday. Following victories in Munich and Madrid, he saw his win streak snapped at 13 straight in his bid to retain the Rome title.
Tour-Level Match Wins Leaders In 2018
| Player | Match Wins |
| (1) Alexander Zverev | 30 |
| (2) Dominic Thiem | 25 |
| (T-3) Rafael Nadal | 23 |
| (T-3) Juan Martin del Potro | 23 |
Zverev, who owns a tour-leading 30 match wins this year, will next turn his attention to Roland Garros, where he hopes to dethrone Nadal and stop the Spaniard from claiming an ‘Undécima’ at the clay-court Grand Slam. And with only 10 points to defend in Paris, his quest continues to become the first player outside the Big Four to crack the Top 2 of the ATP Rankings in 13 years.
Did You Know?
Nadal extended his FedEx ATP Head2Head record to a perfect 5-0 against Zverev, marking the second time he has prevailed this year. Last month he earned a straight-set win in Davis Cup action.
Elina Svitolina thrashed world number one Simona Halep 6-0 6-4 to win a second consecutive Italian Open.
In a rematch of last year’s final, the Ukrainian dominated from the start in Rome and took the first set without losing a game in just 19 minutes.
Romanian Halep, 26, received some stern words from coach Darren Cahill at 5-0 down and improved in the second set.
But 23-year-old world number four Svitolina maintained the upper hand as she powered to a comfortable win.
“It’s amazing that I could come and defend my title here. It’s really something very special for me,” said Svitolina.
She will now go into the French Open at Roland Garros, which starts on 27 May, in confident mood.
“I will try to take one match at a time, it’s very important in a Grand Slam,” she added.
“It’s very tricky so we’ll see how it goes, but definitely I’m going to enjoy (going to) Roland Garros on a high note.”
Halep, who also had a medical time out in the second set, was a set and 5-1 down to Svitolina at last year’s French Open before winning – but there was no comeback this time around.
There were signs of her quality when she held serve in the ninth game of the second set – only for Svitolina to keep her nerve and successfully close out the match.
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