When In London, Djokovic Raises His Game To Another Level
When In London, Djokovic Raises His Game To Another Level
Winning at the Nitto ATP Finals often requires players to raise their games to another level. And with the 2018 season finale less than two months away, Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers investigates which players have best lifted their games during the most recent season finales.
During the past three Nitto ATP Finals, only two players have won a higher percentage of points at the season-ending event than they did during the regular season. An analysis of who competed in the 2015, 2016 and 2017 Nitto ATP Finals at The O2 in London highlights that the elite level of competition for every match dictates that most players walk away from the tournament losing more points than they win.
Grigor Dimitrov leads the pack in the past three years with the highest percentage of points won in London at 55.4 per cent. Last year, Dimitrov won a very respectable 53 per cent of points in the regular season, and improved that by 2.4 percentage points to capture the biggest title of his career.
The only other player to perform better in London in November than everywhere else from January to October was Novak Djokovic in 2016. He won 54.9 per cent of his points in the regular season, and inched a little higher to win an even 55 per cent of his points in the last ATP World Tour tournament of the year.
During the past three years, no other player has been able to increase the percentage of points won at the Nitto ATP Finals over their regular season performances.
2015-2017 Percentage Points Won: Regular Season vs. Nitto ATP Finals
|
Player |
Nitto ATP Finals – Year Played |
W / L |
Season Win % |
Nitto ATP Finals Win % |
|
G. Dimitrov |
2017 |
5-0 |
53.0% |
55.4% |
|
N. Djokovic |
2016 |
4-1 |
54.9% |
55.0% |
|
R. Federer |
2015 |
4-1 |
55.0% |
53.5% |
|
N. Djokovic |
2015 |
5-1 |
55.0% |
53.5% |
|
R. Nadal |
2015 |
3-1 |
53.4% |
53.1% |
|
A. Murray |
2016 |
5-0 |
54.5% |
53.0% |
|
R. Federer |
2017 |
3-1 |
54.9% |
52.8% |
|
M. Raonic |
2016 |
2-2 |
53.0% |
51.8% |
|
D. Goffin |
2017 |
3-2 |
52.0% |
50.0% |
|
A. Zverev |
2017 |
1-2 |
51.9% |
49.3% |
|
S. Wawrinka |
2015 |
2-2 |
52.0% |
49.0% |
|
D. Thiem |
2017 |
1-2 |
51.8% |
48.8% |
|
A. Murray |
2015 |
1-2 |
53.6% |
48.5% |
|
M. Cilic |
2016 |
1-2 |
52.1% |
48.4% |
|
M. Cilic |
2017 |
0-3 |
53.0% |
48.2% |
|
J. Sock |
2017 |
2-2 |
50.4% |
47.9% |
|
K. Nishikori |
2016 |
1-3 |
52.4% |
47.5% |
|
G. Monfils |
2016 |
0-2 |
52.6% |
47.3% |
|
K. Nishikori |
2015 |
1-2 |
52.6% |
47.3% |
|
R. Nadal |
2017 |
0-1 |
55.5% |
46.9% |
|
S. Wawrinka |
2016 |
1-2 |
52.4% |
46.5% |
|
T. Berdych |
2015 |
0-3 |
53.1% |
45.7% |
|
D. Thiem |
2016 |
1-2 |
51.7% |
45.5% |
|
D. Ferrer |
2015 |
0-3 |
53.1% |
44.9% |
|
P. Carreno Busta |
2017 |
0-2 |
50.9% |
42.7% |
|
D. Goffin |
2016 |
0-1 |
51.7% |
40.4% |
All players who have competed in the Nitto ATP Finals in the past three seasons have enjoyed winning more points than they have lost during the regular season. But only eight times out of 26 attempts has a player walked away with winning more than 50 per cent of their points at The O2.
Editor’s note: Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers author Craig O’Shannessy is also a member of Novak Djokovic’s coaching team.