Novak Djokovic beat Rafael Nadal 6-3, 6-4 in the Beijing final, 2013 on hard court
Djokovic was the defending champion and would go onto win the next 2 years also. The 2 had recently played the US Open final (Nadal won) and would go onto play the Year End Championship final (Djokovic would win). Starting with this match, Djokovic would win his next 9 hard court matches in the rivalry without loss of set - a streak that is at present ongoing. With the result, Nadal returned to #1 in the world, replacing Djokovic
Djokovic won 62 points, Nadal 44
Serve Stats
Djokovic...
- 1st serve percentage (33/46) 72%
- 1st serve points won (30/33) 91%
- 2nd serve points won (10/13) 77%
- Aces 4, Service Winners 1
- Double Faults 1
- Unreturned Serve Percentage (13/46) 28%
Nadal....
- 1st serve percentage (39/60) 65%
- 1st serve points won (31/39) 79%
- 2nd serve points won (7/21) 33%
- Aces 2
- Double Faults 2
- Unreturned Serve Percentage (22/60) 37%
Serve Patterns
Djokovic served...
- to FH 44%
- to BH 56%
Nadal served...
- to FH 45%
- to BH 52%
- to Body 3%
Return Stats
Djokovic made...
- 36 (13 FH, 23 BH)
- 20 Errors, comprising...
- 12 Unforced (11 FH, 1 BH), including 2 runaround FHs
- 8 Forced (4 FH, 4 BH)
- Return Rate (36/58) 62%
Nadal made...
- 32 (10 FH, 22 BH), including 1 runaround FH
- 8 Errors, comprising...
- 5 Unforced (4 FH, 1 BH)
- 3 Forced (2 FH, 1 BH)
- Return Rate (32/45) 71%
Break Points
Djokovic 2/4 (3 games)
Nadal 0
Winners (including returns, excluding serves)
Djokovic 15 (9 FH, 3 BH, 1 FHV, 2 OH)
Nadal 7 (3 FH, 1 BH, 3 OH)
Djokovic's FHs - 2 cc, 2 dtl, 3 inside-out and 1 longline/inside-out
- BHs - 1 cc, 1 dtl and 1 drop shot
- 1 OH was on the bounce
Nadal's FHs - 3 inside-out
- BH - 1 dtl
Errors (excluding serves and returns)
Djokovic 14
- 13 Unforced (7 FH, 5 BH, 1 BHV)
- 1 Forced (1 BH)
- Unforced Error Forcefulness Index 49.2
Nadal 32
- 25 Unforced (15 FH, 10 BH)
- 7 Forced (4 FH, 3 BH)
- Unforced Error Forcefulness Index 44
(Note 1: All 1/2 volleys refer to such shots played at net. 1/2 volleys played from other parts of the court are included within relevant groundstroke numbers)
(Note 2: the Unforced Error Forcefulness Index is an indicator of how aggressive the average UE was. The numbers presented for these two matches are keyed on 4 categories - 20 defensive, 40 neutral, 50 attacking and 60 winner attempt)
Net Points & Serve-Volley
Djokovic was...
- 5/7 (71%) at net, including...
- 1/1 serve-volleying, a 1st serve
Nadal was 3/4 (75%) at net
Match Report
Typical, strongly solid showing from Djokovic and more than that, Nadal playing awfully on a fast court. There's scarcely a thing Nadal does so little as averagely
25 unforced errors from Nadal to Djokovic's 13. Djoko occasionally outdoes Nadal in this, the latter's stronghold, but never to this extent. Nadal has 15 UEs of FH alone
Is he being very aggressive and failing? No. His UEFI is low 44 and 19/25 of his errors are neutral shots. To compare, 4/13 of Djoko's are at very high UEFI of 49.2
Is Djoko just so rock solid that it falls to Nadal to blink first? No
Are rallies long and hard fought? No, they're on short side (which is as should be on fast court)
Note also Nadal forcing a grand total of 1 error out of Djokovic, a running BH late in the match. This is in minority part to Djoko being strong in defence. He's not put on defence often, but when he does, hits firmly on the run. The only match I know of with a player forcing 0 errors out of is Alex Zverev in 2017 Halle final
The only mitigating factor in Nadal's high error rate is Djoko hitting firm and deep regulation shots. A tricky proposition to be up against - but not to the extent of Nadal's showing. His baseline play is like someone having their first hit on a fast court after wrapping up clay season and is regularly found rushed playing regulation shots (admittedly, against particularly well hit ones, as is Djoko's way)
Djoko skates through his service games and serves exceptionally well. 72% first serves in is excellent but serves are not well placed, mostly in Nadal's swing zone. 5/8 Nadal return errors have been marked unforced, 4 of them FHs, which tends to be his looser wing when not playing well
91% first serve points won though is a flatteringly high figure. You usually see a number like that when there's a huge load of unreturned serves and/or aces, or bare minimum, serve draws such weak returns that server can dispatch the third ball. That's not true here. 28% unreturned rate is low for such a court and rarely does Djoko finish points at once. Normal serve, normal Nadal return... few groundstrokes exchanged with Djoko hitting firmly and deep, and Nadal gives up the error is how most points go down. This is even more so on Djoko's second serve points, which he wins 77%. 0 break points for Nadal
To be clear, Djoko does attack impressively too. As the harder hitter in neutral rallies, he's able to switch to hitting wider shots to semi-open the court and hit into it. Nadal's defence is also off and by his standard, its not too difficult to force an error out of him. In stark contrast to Djoko, who's excellent on the move (and doesn't often have to). 15 winners, forcing 7 errors, making 13 UEs are good numbers from Djoko. 25 UEs from Nadal is more eyecatching, but good stuff from Djokovic; his scope to shine is limited by Nadal's weak play
The one impressive stat for Nadal is large 37% unreturned rate. Djoko is somewhat loose on his FH return, which makes 15 of his 20 return errors (11 of them unforced). He also phones it in a bit toward the end. From 3-1 up in second set and having held with utter ease throughout match (and as it turns out, for rest of it too), Djoko misses 9 returns in last 14 points he receives. Including 7/8 in consecutive love holds by Nadal. He appears to be tanking the games. Just 2 aces among the 22 unreturned serves is fair indictor of Nadal's serve not being overly strong, despite the high unreturned rate
When Djoko is bending his back to return, he does so with customary authority, deep and firm. And play follows as described earlier
Match Progression
Djokovic breaks to go up 2-0 to start the match. 3 UEs from Nadal as he's broken with Djoko chucking in a FH cc winner. Djoko skates through his service games, losing 2 points in 5 games and at one stage, winning 14 successive service points. Nadal holds comfortably too but can't make a dent on return
Djoko breaks to go up 2-0 again to start the second set. He breaks Nadal in 12 point game, calmly holds to love in about a minute and then takes Nadal to another 12 point game, where 2 break points are saved
After that, Djoko semi-tanks return games, while continuing to hold with ease. Between end of first set and through start of second set, he has another impressive run of 12 straight service games won. In fact, his 2 streaks are separated by 1 point - so at one stage, he wins 26/27 service points in a row
Nadal plays better in second set. He keeps ball in play longer and occasionally manages to be in position to attack. Djoko's able to resist mild attacks and Nadal misses his FH dtl's, so it doesn't come to much. That this represents an improvement says more about how poor he was in first set than anything else
Djoko finishes the match serving out to love - opening the game with his sole serve-volley point in which he deals with an awkward high BHV and finishing it with his sole service winner
Summing up, good showing from Djokovic in his best, mechanically efficient, rolling over opponent style - choice firm returning, characteristic firm and deep groundies, good hitting on the run and successful transition to genuine attack when he chooses. More than that, very poor from Nadal, who struggles to keep the ball in court
Stats for pair's US Open final - https://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/ind...-nadal-vs-djokovic-us-open-final-2013.633492/
Stats for pair's YEC final - https://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/ind...adal-year-end-championship-final-2013.657153/
Stats for '17 Halle final between Alex Zverev and Roger Federer - https://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/ind...-federer-vs-a-zverev-halle-final-2017.674794/
Djokovic was the defending champion and would go onto win the next 2 years also. The 2 had recently played the US Open final (Nadal won) and would go onto play the Year End Championship final (Djokovic would win). Starting with this match, Djokovic would win his next 9 hard court matches in the rivalry without loss of set - a streak that is at present ongoing. With the result, Nadal returned to #1 in the world, replacing Djokovic
Djokovic won 62 points, Nadal 44
Serve Stats
Djokovic...
- 1st serve percentage (33/46) 72%
- 1st serve points won (30/33) 91%
- 2nd serve points won (10/13) 77%
- Aces 4, Service Winners 1
- Double Faults 1
- Unreturned Serve Percentage (13/46) 28%
Nadal....
- 1st serve percentage (39/60) 65%
- 1st serve points won (31/39) 79%
- 2nd serve points won (7/21) 33%
- Aces 2
- Double Faults 2
- Unreturned Serve Percentage (22/60) 37%
Serve Patterns
Djokovic served...
- to FH 44%
- to BH 56%
Nadal served...
- to FH 45%
- to BH 52%
- to Body 3%
Return Stats
Djokovic made...
- 36 (13 FH, 23 BH)
- 20 Errors, comprising...
- 12 Unforced (11 FH, 1 BH), including 2 runaround FHs
- 8 Forced (4 FH, 4 BH)
- Return Rate (36/58) 62%
Nadal made...
- 32 (10 FH, 22 BH), including 1 runaround FH
- 8 Errors, comprising...
- 5 Unforced (4 FH, 1 BH)
- 3 Forced (2 FH, 1 BH)
- Return Rate (32/45) 71%
Break Points
Djokovic 2/4 (3 games)
Nadal 0
Winners (including returns, excluding serves)
Djokovic 15 (9 FH, 3 BH, 1 FHV, 2 OH)
Nadal 7 (3 FH, 1 BH, 3 OH)
Djokovic's FHs - 2 cc, 2 dtl, 3 inside-out and 1 longline/inside-out
- BHs - 1 cc, 1 dtl and 1 drop shot
- 1 OH was on the bounce
Nadal's FHs - 3 inside-out
- BH - 1 dtl
Errors (excluding serves and returns)
Djokovic 14
- 13 Unforced (7 FH, 5 BH, 1 BHV)
- 1 Forced (1 BH)
- Unforced Error Forcefulness Index 49.2
Nadal 32
- 25 Unforced (15 FH, 10 BH)
- 7 Forced (4 FH, 3 BH)
- Unforced Error Forcefulness Index 44
(Note 1: All 1/2 volleys refer to such shots played at net. 1/2 volleys played from other parts of the court are included within relevant groundstroke numbers)
(Note 2: the Unforced Error Forcefulness Index is an indicator of how aggressive the average UE was. The numbers presented for these two matches are keyed on 4 categories - 20 defensive, 40 neutral, 50 attacking and 60 winner attempt)
Net Points & Serve-Volley
Djokovic was...
- 5/7 (71%) at net, including...
- 1/1 serve-volleying, a 1st serve
Nadal was 3/4 (75%) at net
Match Report
Typical, strongly solid showing from Djokovic and more than that, Nadal playing awfully on a fast court. There's scarcely a thing Nadal does so little as averagely
25 unforced errors from Nadal to Djokovic's 13. Djoko occasionally outdoes Nadal in this, the latter's stronghold, but never to this extent. Nadal has 15 UEs of FH alone
Is he being very aggressive and failing? No. His UEFI is low 44 and 19/25 of his errors are neutral shots. To compare, 4/13 of Djoko's are at very high UEFI of 49.2
Is Djoko just so rock solid that it falls to Nadal to blink first? No
Are rallies long and hard fought? No, they're on short side (which is as should be on fast court)
Note also Nadal forcing a grand total of 1 error out of Djokovic, a running BH late in the match. This is in minority part to Djoko being strong in defence. He's not put on defence often, but when he does, hits firmly on the run. The only match I know of with a player forcing 0 errors out of is Alex Zverev in 2017 Halle final
The only mitigating factor in Nadal's high error rate is Djoko hitting firm and deep regulation shots. A tricky proposition to be up against - but not to the extent of Nadal's showing. His baseline play is like someone having their first hit on a fast court after wrapping up clay season and is regularly found rushed playing regulation shots (admittedly, against particularly well hit ones, as is Djoko's way)
Djoko skates through his service games and serves exceptionally well. 72% first serves in is excellent but serves are not well placed, mostly in Nadal's swing zone. 5/8 Nadal return errors have been marked unforced, 4 of them FHs, which tends to be his looser wing when not playing well
91% first serve points won though is a flatteringly high figure. You usually see a number like that when there's a huge load of unreturned serves and/or aces, or bare minimum, serve draws such weak returns that server can dispatch the third ball. That's not true here. 28% unreturned rate is low for such a court and rarely does Djoko finish points at once. Normal serve, normal Nadal return... few groundstrokes exchanged with Djoko hitting firmly and deep, and Nadal gives up the error is how most points go down. This is even more so on Djoko's second serve points, which he wins 77%. 0 break points for Nadal
To be clear, Djoko does attack impressively too. As the harder hitter in neutral rallies, he's able to switch to hitting wider shots to semi-open the court and hit into it. Nadal's defence is also off and by his standard, its not too difficult to force an error out of him. In stark contrast to Djoko, who's excellent on the move (and doesn't often have to). 15 winners, forcing 7 errors, making 13 UEs are good numbers from Djoko. 25 UEs from Nadal is more eyecatching, but good stuff from Djokovic; his scope to shine is limited by Nadal's weak play
The one impressive stat for Nadal is large 37% unreturned rate. Djoko is somewhat loose on his FH return, which makes 15 of his 20 return errors (11 of them unforced). He also phones it in a bit toward the end. From 3-1 up in second set and having held with utter ease throughout match (and as it turns out, for rest of it too), Djoko misses 9 returns in last 14 points he receives. Including 7/8 in consecutive love holds by Nadal. He appears to be tanking the games. Just 2 aces among the 22 unreturned serves is fair indictor of Nadal's serve not being overly strong, despite the high unreturned rate
When Djoko is bending his back to return, he does so with customary authority, deep and firm. And play follows as described earlier
Match Progression
Djokovic breaks to go up 2-0 to start the match. 3 UEs from Nadal as he's broken with Djoko chucking in a FH cc winner. Djoko skates through his service games, losing 2 points in 5 games and at one stage, winning 14 successive service points. Nadal holds comfortably too but can't make a dent on return
Djoko breaks to go up 2-0 again to start the second set. He breaks Nadal in 12 point game, calmly holds to love in about a minute and then takes Nadal to another 12 point game, where 2 break points are saved
After that, Djoko semi-tanks return games, while continuing to hold with ease. Between end of first set and through start of second set, he has another impressive run of 12 straight service games won. In fact, his 2 streaks are separated by 1 point - so at one stage, he wins 26/27 service points in a row
Nadal plays better in second set. He keeps ball in play longer and occasionally manages to be in position to attack. Djoko's able to resist mild attacks and Nadal misses his FH dtl's, so it doesn't come to much. That this represents an improvement says more about how poor he was in first set than anything else
Djoko finishes the match serving out to love - opening the game with his sole serve-volley point in which he deals with an awkward high BHV and finishing it with his sole service winner
Summing up, good showing from Djokovic in his best, mechanically efficient, rolling over opponent style - choice firm returning, characteristic firm and deep groundies, good hitting on the run and successful transition to genuine attack when he chooses. More than that, very poor from Nadal, who struggles to keep the ball in court
Stats for pair's US Open final - https://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/ind...-nadal-vs-djokovic-us-open-final-2013.633492/
Stats for pair's YEC final - https://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/ind...adal-year-end-championship-final-2013.657153/
Stats for '17 Halle final between Alex Zverev and Roger Federer - https://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/ind...-federer-vs-a-zverev-halle-final-2017.674794/
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