The ATP has Agassi winning 3 Slam finals in which he won fewer points overall than his opponent:
- Ivanisevic 1992 Wimbledon
- Sampras 1995 Australian Open
- Medvedev 1999 French Open
I can confirm that the ATP stats for the first two are wrong. I've done stats for both, and in each case Agassi won more points than his opponent. The ATP stats are correct in a few categories such as break points, but the other stats are so far off that they may belong to other matches.
I'm not going to take my own stats for the Medvedev match, because in that case the ATP figures do make sense. I have no problem believing that Medvedev won more points in the match than Agassi did, which I'll explain.
The correct stats for Agassi-Ivanisevic are in this boxscore, which I found in USA Today, the St. Petersburg Times (Florida), the Gazette (Montreal), and the St. Louis Dispatch.
I got the same numbers myself, with one exception. Ivanisevic has 1 more placement winner (non-service winner) in the boxscore than in my count, and I think it was given to him on a judgment call when he smacked a forehand return down the line that Agassi only grazed with the edge of his racquet.
My own stats:
Agassi won 163 points overall, Ivanisevic 159.
SERVICE
Agassi won 111 of 156 points on serve (or 71%).
Ivanisevic won 114 of 166 points on serve (or 69%).
Agassi’s first-serve percentage by set:
33/51 (65%)
20/30 (67%)
18/26 (69%)
6/15 (40%)
13/34 (38%)
90/156 (58% total for the match)
In the last two sets Agassi’s serve underwent a meltdown; he made 19 of 49 serves, just 39%. So it was only in the fourth set that Goran finally broke him – twice. But Andre managed to hold serve throughout the fifth set, though his percentage never came back up.
Ivanisevic’s first-serve percentage by set:
33/51 (65%)
17/36 (47%)
18/32 (56%)
10/20 (50%)
18/27 (67%)
96/166 (58% total for the match)
Agassi got his first serve into play on 2 of 5 break points (or 40%), Ivanisevic on 10 of 16 (or 63%).
The break points tell the story: Ivanisevic had the harder time holding serve.
Agassi won 14 straight points on serve to close the third set, and had 1 more to open the fourth. It was the longest service streak that either player had.
Agassi had 9 aces and 1 double-fault. He had 31 other serves that Ivanisevic could not return (21 were 1st serves); I judged 2 of these as service winners.
Ivanisevic had 37 aces (4 on 2nd serve) and 7 double-faults. He had 44 other serves that Agassi could not return (27 were 1st serves); I judged 11 of these as service winners.
NBC put Goran at 38 aces, including one judgment call on a ball barely contacted by Agassi.
WINNERS
Agassi had 49 clean winners apart from service: 12 FH, 26 BH, 3 FHV, 4 BHV, and 4 overheads.
Ivanisevic had 38 clean winners apart from service: 10 FH, 5 BH, 7 FHV, 13 BHV, and 3 overheads.
Agassi had 9 service return winners, all passes. (Six were off Goran’s second serve, and all backhands). In addition he had 11 FH and 15 BH passes. Altogether he passed Goran 35 times.
Ivanisevic had 5 service return winners, four of them passes. In addition he had four passing shots, two from each wing. Altogether he passed Agassi 8 times.
ERRORS
I didn't do a full count of the errors. But if I subtract the aces and winners from the total points won, then:
Agassi made 84 errors (forced and unforced). Of those I counted 44 return errors and 1 double-fault. So in the exchanges consisting of at least a successful return (rallies), he made 39 errors.
Ivanisevic made 105 errors (forced and unforced). Of those I counted 31 return errors and 7 double-faults. So in the exchanges consisting of at least a successful return (rallies), he made 67 errors.
Some NBC stats:
Through the semis, Ivanisevic had served at 64% with 169 aces and 7 breaks against him. He’d won 86% of points on first serve. Only 45% of his serves had “come back across the net” (Enberg).
Agassi had served 26 aces in his previous rounds.
At 4-2 in the second, Agassi was serving at 66% with 33 winners, 12 unforced errors and 4 aces. I had him at the same number of winners and aces (though I had also given Andre two service winners by then).
At 4-2 in the second, Ivanisevic was serving at 62% with 39 winners, 27 unforced errors and 16 aces. I had him at 34 total winners, including 15 aces; NBC had given him 16 aces with a judgment call, so if that serve is not counted, I was behind NBC’s total by 4 winners. And in fact by then I had given Ivanisevic 4 service winners.
At 4-all in the fifth, Agassi had 22 unforced errors, Goran 57.
In the middle of the fifth, Enberg said that Agassi was winning 68% of his approaches.
After four sets, Agassi had won 130 points, Ivanisevic 131. That lines up with my own count.
- Ivanisevic 1992 Wimbledon
- Sampras 1995 Australian Open
- Medvedev 1999 French Open
I can confirm that the ATP stats for the first two are wrong. I've done stats for both, and in each case Agassi won more points than his opponent. The ATP stats are correct in a few categories such as break points, but the other stats are so far off that they may belong to other matches.
I'm not going to take my own stats for the Medvedev match, because in that case the ATP figures do make sense. I have no problem believing that Medvedev won more points in the match than Agassi did, which I'll explain.
The correct stats for Agassi-Ivanisevic are in this boxscore, which I found in USA Today, the St. Petersburg Times (Florida), the Gazette (Montreal), and the St. Louis Dispatch.
I got the same numbers myself, with one exception. Ivanisevic has 1 more placement winner (non-service winner) in the boxscore than in my count, and I think it was given to him on a judgment call when he smacked a forehand return down the line that Agassi only grazed with the edge of his racquet.
My own stats:
Agassi won 163 points overall, Ivanisevic 159.
SERVICE
Agassi won 111 of 156 points on serve (or 71%).
Ivanisevic won 114 of 166 points on serve (or 69%).
Agassi’s first-serve percentage by set:
33/51 (65%)
20/30 (67%)
18/26 (69%)
6/15 (40%)
13/34 (38%)
90/156 (58% total for the match)
In the last two sets Agassi’s serve underwent a meltdown; he made 19 of 49 serves, just 39%. So it was only in the fourth set that Goran finally broke him – twice. But Andre managed to hold serve throughout the fifth set, though his percentage never came back up.
Ivanisevic’s first-serve percentage by set:
33/51 (65%)
17/36 (47%)
18/32 (56%)
10/20 (50%)
18/27 (67%)
96/166 (58% total for the match)
Agassi got his first serve into play on 2 of 5 break points (or 40%), Ivanisevic on 10 of 16 (or 63%).
The break points tell the story: Ivanisevic had the harder time holding serve.
Agassi won 14 straight points on serve to close the third set, and had 1 more to open the fourth. It was the longest service streak that either player had.
Agassi had 9 aces and 1 double-fault. He had 31 other serves that Ivanisevic could not return (21 were 1st serves); I judged 2 of these as service winners.
Ivanisevic had 37 aces (4 on 2nd serve) and 7 double-faults. He had 44 other serves that Agassi could not return (27 were 1st serves); I judged 11 of these as service winners.
NBC put Goran at 38 aces, including one judgment call on a ball barely contacted by Agassi.
WINNERS
Agassi had 49 clean winners apart from service: 12 FH, 26 BH, 3 FHV, 4 BHV, and 4 overheads.
Ivanisevic had 38 clean winners apart from service: 10 FH, 5 BH, 7 FHV, 13 BHV, and 3 overheads.
Agassi had 9 service return winners, all passes. (Six were off Goran’s second serve, and all backhands). In addition he had 11 FH and 15 BH passes. Altogether he passed Goran 35 times.
Ivanisevic had 5 service return winners, four of them passes. In addition he had four passing shots, two from each wing. Altogether he passed Agassi 8 times.
ERRORS
I didn't do a full count of the errors. But if I subtract the aces and winners from the total points won, then:
Agassi made 84 errors (forced and unforced). Of those I counted 44 return errors and 1 double-fault. So in the exchanges consisting of at least a successful return (rallies), he made 39 errors.
Ivanisevic made 105 errors (forced and unforced). Of those I counted 31 return errors and 7 double-faults. So in the exchanges consisting of at least a successful return (rallies), he made 67 errors.
Some NBC stats:
Through the semis, Ivanisevic had served at 64% with 169 aces and 7 breaks against him. He’d won 86% of points on first serve. Only 45% of his serves had “come back across the net” (Enberg).
Agassi had served 26 aces in his previous rounds.
At 4-2 in the second, Agassi was serving at 66% with 33 winners, 12 unforced errors and 4 aces. I had him at the same number of winners and aces (though I had also given Andre two service winners by then).
At 4-2 in the second, Ivanisevic was serving at 62% with 39 winners, 27 unforced errors and 16 aces. I had him at 34 total winners, including 15 aces; NBC had given him 16 aces with a judgment call, so if that serve is not counted, I was behind NBC’s total by 4 winners. And in fact by then I had given Ivanisevic 4 service winners.
At 4-all in the fifth, Agassi had 22 unforced errors, Goran 57.
In the middle of the fifth, Enberg said that Agassi was winning 68% of his approaches.
After four sets, Agassi had won 130 points, Ivanisevic 131. That lines up with my own count.
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