ATP Beyond The Numbers: Returning Trumps Serving

[llodra_fan]

Interesting article from ATP site.
Here are some excerpts :

After crunching the numbers from more than 60 tournaments on the ATP World Tour in 2015, Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers shows that the return of serve is what really counts.

In 2015, none of the Top 3 players in the Service Games Won category made it to the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London. Yet the Top 4 players on the list of Return Games won – David Ferrer, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray - all made it to The O2.

Ferrer, who won five titles in 2015, topped the list by winning 35 percent of services games in 2015, followed by Djokovic with 34 and Nadal and Murray, both at 31 percent. Two others players in the Top 10 of this category also made it to The O2: Roger Federer and Kei Nishikori, who won 27 percent of their return games in 2015

Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic (who were among the best returners of the year), were the only members of the Top 5 list of service games won to make it to London.

Six of the Top 7 players on the list of Points Won Returning Second Serve qualified for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals: Novak Djokovic topped the list, winning 57 percent of all second-serve return points, followed by Andy Murray and David Ferrer on 56 percent, Tomas Berdych on 55 percent. Rafael Nadal and Kei Nishikori were tied for sixth with 53 percent.

Ferrer, Djokovic, Nadal, Murray and Federer also occupied the top five places on the list of Points Won Returning 1st Serves. In contrast, Federer and Berdych were the only London qualifiers among the year’s Top 10 list for Most Points Won On First Serve.
But success winning points returning second serves still proved to be even more important, with six of the top seven places on the list all being occupied by London qualifiers, led by Djokovic, who won 57 percent of points when returning second serves.

 

[Flint]

Than again, great serving is probably better for longevity.

Isner, Karlovic, Federer etc.

 

[CYGS]

Djokovic tops both lists.

 

[Deleted member 716271]

Djokovic tops both lists.

his serve/return combo has to be the best ever, no?

GOAT return with a very fine serve.

 

[xFedal]

his serve/return combo has to be the best ever, no?
GOAT return with a very fine serve.

His serve is getting better and better just like Feds.

 

[sureshs]

Man this Donald guy is everywhere now

 

[Omega_7000]

Has a lot to do with courts slowing down too...

 

[Deleted member 716271]

His serve is getting better and better just like Feds.

It's really improve the last couple of years. His first serve is good and his 2nd is one of the best on tour.

 

[OhYes]

Has a lot to do with courts slowing down too...

Novak's serving ?

 

[Omega_7000]

Novak's serving ?

Returning trumping Serving...Everything isn't about Djokovic and Federer

 

[OhYes]

Returning trumping Serving...Everything isn't about Djokovic and Federer

But it is everything about Djokovic. Federer not so much.
Ok, if you had something else in mind I'm fine with it.

 

[xan]

4 out of 6 6 out of 7, 3 out of 5, 2 out of 3 5 out of 6 7 out of 4 im having hard time following him.. good god

 

[bjsnider]

The analysis is a bit simplistic, since the top servers are tall guys who are excessively clumsy, a deadly word to have applied to any tennis player. Take the tall guys out of the mix and there might be more correlation. Federer's rise to the #1 ranking in 2004 was due to an increase in hold game percentages, not return game percentages. Also, the one tall guy with exceptional tennis skills, Raonic, should have been at the O2, but had a disastrously bad year with injuries.