On Serve, Federer Slams The Door Better Than Anyone

  • Posted: Sep 27, 2017

On Serve, Federer Slams The Door Better Than Anyone

Sep272017

Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers shows how the Swiss comes up big during crucial moments

40/30 seems like a very competitive point score, with the returner already capturing two points and being just three points from breaking serve.

But don’t be fooled: It’s still one-way traffic for the server.

Even though the returner has won 40 per cent (two of five) of the points played so far in the game, his chance of breaking serve is still less than 10 per cent.

An Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers analysis of the current Top 10 players in the Emirates ATP Rankings shows that, since the start of the 2015 season, they have held serve from 40/30 92.7 per cent (6331/6826) of the time.

The player who has been the toughest to break when leading 40/30 on serve is Roger Federer, who has held a dominant 95.4 per cent (535/561) of the time from this seemingly competitive point score.

Current Top 10: Holding from 40/30 since the start of the 2015 season

Ranking

Player

40/30 Points Won

Total 40/30 Points

Hold Percentage

1

Roger Federer

535

561

95.4%

2

Marin Cilic

596

630

94.6%

3

Novak Djokovic

697

742

93.9%

4

Andy Murray

703

756

93.0%

5

Alexander Zverev

605

653

92.6%

6

Rafael Nadal

634

686

92.4%

7

Stan Wawrinka

686

743

92.3%

8

Dominic Thiem

719

780

92.2%

9

Grigor Dimitrov

611

666

91.7%

10

Pablo Carreno Busta

545

609

89.5%

–

AVERAGE

6331

6826

92.7%

Federer: Past Three Seasons Holding From 40/30

  • 2017 = 96.3% (157/163)

  • 2016 = 95.5% (107/112)

  • 2015 = 94.7% (271/286)

Even worse news for his opponents: Federer has slightly improved in this specific category during the past three seasons. This year, he’s led 40/30 during 163 service games and has lost only six of those points. Opponents must feel like they are getting closer to capturing Federer’s serve, but in reality, they are farther away from breaking than they were at 0/0.

Infosys Nia Data shows that in 2017 Federer is holding serve 91 per cent of the time, but at 40/30, he is holding 96.3 per cent (157/163) of the time. The returner winning two points in the service game doesn’t trump the fact that Federer needs just one more point to hold. When the Swiss star has surged ahead 40/15 this season, his win percentage has elevated to a near-perfect 99.1 per cent (229/231).

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Marin Cilic is the second best performer of current Top 10 players, holding serve from 40/30 94.6 per cent (596/630) of the time since the beginning of the 2015 season. Former World No. 1s Novak Djokovic (93.9 per cent) and Andy Murray (93 per cent) are third and fourth on the list, being the only other players to reach the 93 per cent mark.

Next are #NextGenATP German Alexander Zverev (92.6 per cent) and World No. 1 Rafael Nadal (92.4 per cent). Rounding out the Top 10 in this category include Stan Wawrinka (92.3 per cent), Dominic Thiem (92.2 per cent), Grigor Dimitrov (91.7 per cent) and Pablo Carreno Busta (89.5 per cent).

Practice Court

A fun practice drill for players at all levels of the game to complement this fascinating data would be to play a set where the server begins the game at 40/30. If the server drops serve, he instantly loses the set. The focus is on the business end of the game, with elevated pressure as fewer points are required to hold and break serve. It’s a fun way to work a five-setter into your afternoon on court.

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