First Serves Under Pressure

[krosero]

Lendl converted only 1 of 16 break chances (6.3%) in that Dallas match, a very poor performance for him.

It would be interesting to find out how many first serves McEnroe made on those break points. Was it a case of McEnroe saving them, or Lendl failing to convert break chances the way he normally did?

Again there's a parallel with the '81 Wimbledon final: McEnroe and Borg each converted only 2 of 15 break points. There was no real failing there on Borg's part, because McEnroe made 12 of 15 first serves on break points.

 

[Moose Malloy]

In the tiebreaks:

McEnroe made 9 of 11 first serves (82%).

did they mention 1st serve %'s for either player during the match?

 

[krosero]

did they mention 1st serve %'s for either player during the match?

They gave service percentages for each set.

Set 1 - Lendl 51, Mac 60
Set 2 - Lendl 51, Mac 69
Set 3 - Lendl 39, Mac 55
Set 4 - Lendl 77, Mac 41 (after 7 games)

I think they have mac's wrong in set 2, because they also said that after two sets he was serving at 51% for the whole match. And they said he had 3 df's in total at that point, but they had already given him 5 df's in the first set.

Some confusion there in set statistics and match statistics.

Lendl's numbers look ok.

 

[krosero]

Similar match at 1988 RG
Lendl d. Mac 6-7 (3), 7-6 (7), 6-4, 6-4

Lendl made 5 of 10 first serves in the tiebreaks (50%). By tiebreak:

1 of 5
4 of 5 (he missed one first serve, and then made it, when the point was replayed)

McEnroe made 4 of 10 first serves in the tiebreaks (40%). By tiebreak:

1 of 5
3 of 5

In that opening tiebreak each player lost the only point on which he made his first serve; they lived on their second serves entirely. Lendl won only 1 of 4 points on second serve; McEnroe won 3 of 4.

In the next tiebreak each man lost 1 point on first serve so again the difference was in the second serve. Lendl won his only second serve point; McEnroe lost both of his.


ESPN's service percentages in each set:
Set 1 - Lendl 47, Mac 55
Set 2 -Lendl 63, Mac 69
Set 3 - Lendl 60, Mac 52
Set 4 - Lendl 95, Mac 67

 

[krosero]

Another outstanding performance was when Courier went up two sets on Sampras at the '95 AO.

Sampras won 6-7 (4), 6-7 (3), 6-3, 6-4, 6-3


Courier made 8 of 10 first serves in the tiebreaks (80%). By tiebreak:

4 of 5 (no mini-breaks of any kind)
4 of 5 (no mini-breaks of any kind)

Sampras made 5 of 11 first serves in the tiebreaks (45%). By tiebreak:

3 of 6 (he won all 3)
2 of 5 (he lost both)

 

[krosero]

Another great one: Federer d. Djokovic, 2007 USO final,
7-6 (4), 7-6 (2), 6-4

Federer made 7 of 9 first serves in the tiebreaks (78%). By tiebreak:

3 of 5 (winning 2 of the 3)
4 of 4

So Federer won 6 of 7 points started on his first serve: on all 6 he forced a BH return error from Djokovic (4 times with serves I judged as service winners).

From 15-40 in his last service game of the second set Federer had made every first serve and won every service point: he ended with 9 straight first serves and 13 straight points won on serve.

Djokovic made 6 of 11 first serves in the tiebreaks (55%) . By tiebreak:

2 of 6 (winning 1 of the 2)
4 of 5 (winning 2 of the 4)

 

[krosero]

1993 Wimbledon final
Sampras d. Courier
7-6 (3), 7-6 (8-6), 3-6, 6-3

Sampras made 5 of 12 first serves in the tiebreaks (41.7%). By tiebreak:

4 of 5 (no mini-breaks of any kind)
1 of 7

Courier made 5 of 12 first serves in the tiebreaks (41.7%). By tiebreak:

2 of 5 (he won 1 of the 2), missing his last three
3 of 7 (he won all 3)

In that second-set tiebreak Sampras played only one point on first serve, and won it, but he got by almost entirely on second serve, winning 5 of 6 such points. Three of his second serves were unreturned, and one was an ace.

So Sampras lost only 1 service point in that tiebreak, and it was just enough, since Courier lost two -- both on second serve.

 

[krosero]

1994 Wimbledon final
Sampras d. Ivanisevic
7-6 (2), 7-6 (5), 6-0

Sampras made 7 of 11 first serves in the tiebreaks (63.6%). By tiebreak:

3 of 5 (no mini-breaks of any kind)
4 of 6 (he won all 4)

Ivanisevic made 5 of 10 first serves in the tiebreaks (50%). By tiebreak:

1 of 4
4 of 6 (he won 3 of the 4)

So Sampras won 7 of 7 points when he made his first serve in the tiebreaks.

Ivanisevic won 4 of 5 points when he made his first serve. The only one he lost was on the final point of the second tiebreak, putting him down two sets to love.

 

[Jeffrey573639]

Just wondering how did Fed go in that 07 Wimbledon final?

 

[krosero]

2009 USO final
Del Potro d. Federer
3-6, 7-6 (5), 4-6, 7-6 (4), 6-2

Del Potro made 6 of 12 first serves in the tiebreaks (50%). By tiebreak:

3 of 6 (no mini-breaks of any kind)
3 of 6 (no mini-breaks of any kind)

Federer made 6 of 11 first serves in the tiebreaks (54.5%). By tiebreak:

3 of 6 (the only mini-break was on a first serve)
3 of 5 (the only mini-break was on a second serve)

 

[krosero]

2003 Wimbledon final
Federer d. Philippoussis
7-6 (5), 6-2, 7-6 (3)

Federer made 4 of 11 first serves in the tiebreaks (36%). By tiebreak:

1 of 6 (he lost only one service point, on a second serve)
3 of 5 (he lost only one service point, in a first serve)

Philippoussis made 8 of 11 first serves in the tiebreaks (73%). By tiebreak:

5 of 6 (he lost one first serve and one second serve)
3 of 5 (he lost two on first and one on second)

So Federer won 3 of the 4 points on which he made his first serve, but he really won on his second serve, winning 6 of 7 such points (85.7%)

Philippoussis made, in my judgment, the only UE’s in the tiebreaks: 4 in the first tiebreak and 3 in the last. He had 5 unreturned serves (4 in the first tiebreak), compared to 4 for Federer.

 

[krosero]

2004 Wimbledon
Federer d. Roddick
4-6, 7-5, 7-6 (3), 6-4

In the tiebreak:

Federer made 4 of 5 first serves (winning 3 of the 4).
Roddick made 4 of 5 first serves (winning 2 of the 4), missing only on set point.

Federer lost only 1 service point, on a first serve. Roddick lost his last three service points, two on first serve.

There were 4 unreturned serves in the tiebreak, all on the first four points, split between the two players.

 

[krosero]

2005 Wimbledon
Federer d. Roddick
6-2, 7-6 (2), 6-4

In the tiebreak:

Federer made 2 of 5 first serves (losing 1 point on first and 1 on second)
Roddick made 2 of 4 first serves (he lost all his service points).

There were no unreturned serves in this tiebreak.

 

[krosero]

2006 Wimbledon final
Federer d. Nadal
6-0, 7-6 (5), 6-7 (2), 6-3

Federer made 6 of 10 first serves in the tiebreaks (60%). By tiebreak:

3 of 6 (winning 2 of those 3)
3 of 4 (winning 1 of the 3)

Nadal made 9 of 11 first serves in the tiebreaks (82%). By tiebreak:

6 of 6 (winning 4)
3 of 5 (his only mini-break was on a first serve)

 

[krosero]

2007 Wimbledon final
Federer d. Nadal
7-6 (9-7), 4-6, 7-6 (3), 2-6, 6-2

Federer made 9 of 13 first serves in the tiebreaks (69%). By tiebreak:

6 of 8 (he won all 6)
3 of 5 (he won all 3)

Nadal made 8 of 13 first serves in the tiebreaks (62%). By tiebreak:

5 of 8 (he won only 2 of the 5)
3 of 5 (he won 2 of the 3)

So Federer won all 9 points in which he made his first serve.

 

[krosero]

2008 Wimbledon final
Nadal d. Federer
6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-7 (8-10), 9-7

Nadal made 12 of 15 first serves in the tiebreaks (80%). By tiebreak:

5 of 6 (he won 4 of the 5)
7 of 9 (he won only 3 of the 7)

Federer made 11 of 15 first serves in the tiebreaks (73%). By tiebreak:

6 of 6 (he won 5, including 4 aces)
5 of 9 (he won 4 of the 5)

This year Federer won 10 of 11 points in which he made his first serve (90.9%).

 

[krosero]

2009 Wimbledon final
Federer d. Roddick
5-7, 7-6 (8-6), 7-6 (5), 3-6, 16-14

Federer made 8 of 13 first serves in the tiebreaks (62%). By tiebreak:

4 of 7 (he won all 4)
4 of 6 (his only mini-break was on a first serve)

Roddick made 9 of 13 first serves in the tiebreaks (69%). By tiebreak:

5 of 7 (he made 5 in a row through the first set point then made no more)
4 of 6 (he won 3 of the 4)

This year Federer won 7 of the 8 points in which he made his first serve (88%). Roddick won 7 of 9 (78%).

 

[krosero]

In his Wimbledon finals, Federer has won 11 of 12 tiebreaks, losing only one to Nadal in ’06.

 

[abmk]

2009 USO final
Del Potro d. Federer
3-6, 7-6 (5), 4-6, 7-6 (4), 6-2

Del Potro made 6 of 12 first serves in the tiebreaks (50%). By tiebreak:

3 of 6 (no mini-breaks of any kind)
3 of 6 (no mini-breaks of any kind)

Federer made 6 of 11 first serves in the tiebreaks (54.5%). By tiebreak:

3 of 6 (the only mini-break was on a first serve)
3 of 5 (the only mini-break was on a second serve)

it was a double fault, if I might add ....

 

[Moose Malloy]

2004 Wimbledon
Federer d. Roddick
4-6, 7-5, 7-6 (3), 6-4

In the tiebreak:

Federer made 4 of 5 first serves (winning 3 of the 4).
Roddick made 4 of 5 first serves (winning 2 of the 4), missing only on set point.

on break points
Federer made 6 of 14 first serves
Roddick made 6 of 10

 

[krosero]

on break points
Federer made 6 of 14 first serves
Roddick made 6 of 10

Maybe a sign of nerves on Federer's part.

 

[Moose Malloy]

Bartoli made 7 of 8 1st serves when down break points in the W final vs Lisicki

 

[krosero]

Their Wimbledon semi two months earlier was a perfect mirror. Becker won that match, though Agassi served better on the break points (Becker made first serves on 9 of 14 breakers, Agassi on 13 of 16). But the key was that Becker served so much better in the tiebreaks and won them both.

Score was 2-6, 7-6 (1), 6-4, 7-6 (1)

Becker made 8 of 8 first serves in the tiebreaks. By tiebreak:

4 of 4 (no mini-breaks)
4 of 4 (no mini-breaks)

Agassi made 6 of 8 first serves in the tiebreaks. By tiebreak:

3 of 4 (he lost 2 of the 3)
3 of 4 (he lost 2 of the 3)

Agassi served about as well in these tiebreaks as he would in the USO tiebreaks, but Becker's performance was totally different. Right now this is the only instance I know of in which someone made all of his first serves over the course of two tiebreaks.

McEnroe came very close in the 1981 Wimbledon final, making 9 of 10 first serves over the course of the two tiebreaks (and won them both in dominating fashion just as Becker did against Agassi).

I've found another one: Federer made all of his first serves over the course of two tiebreaks in defeating Djokovic at 2011 RG.

Score: 7-6 (7-5), 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (7-5)

Federer made 12 of 12 first serves in the tiebreaks (100%). By tiebreak:

6 of 6 (one mini-break)
6 of 6 (one mini-break)

Djokovic made 7 of 12 first serves in the tiebreaks (58%). By tiebreak:

4 of 6 (two mini-breaks, both on first serve)
3 of 6 (two mini-breaks, one on first serve)

Each man made 5 UE's over the course of the two tiebreaks, but Federer's edge in winners was 7-3 (including a 3-1 lead in aces).

 

[krosero]

Bruguera made 5 of 5 first serves in the tiebreak he won against Sampras at 1996 RG, winning 4 of the 5.

Sampras made 3 of 4 first serves (winning 2 of the 3).

 

[krosero]

In his loss to Ferrer at Bercy a few days ago, Nadal made his first serve on 7 of 8 break points. He missed only on his last service point of the match, at 5-all in the second.

 

[helterskelter]

I don't know whether this has been mentioned, and I know it's slightly off topic because it's not about serves under pressure, but in the 1988 US Open final, Wilander had a 100% first serve record until about halfway through the second set!

 

[krosero]

^^ That's true, he made 37 straight first serves. We posted a list somewhere, can't recall the thread. These are the highest streaks we've counted or have heard of:

44 by Borg against Pecci in 1979 French Open final
37 by Wilander against Lendl in 1988 USO final (and another 20 later in the match)
33 by Pancho Gonzalez against Pasarell at 1969 Wimbledon, R128 (25 to start the fifth set)
29 by Wilander against Leconte in 1988 French Open final
27 at least by Davydenko to open his 2010 Doha win over Federer
25 by Benneteau against Federer in 2009 Paris Masters, second round
22 by Navratilova against Mandlikova in 1986 Wimbledon final
22 by S. Williams against Hingis in a 2001 USO semifinal
20 by Smith against Newcombe in the 1971 Wimbledon final
19 by Wilander against McEnroe in a 1982 Davis Cup quarterfinal
16 by Ivanisevic in the fifth set against Agassi, 1992 Wimbledon final
16 by Zvereva against Graf in the 1988 French Open final
16 by Connors against Borg in a 1981 Wimbledon semifinal
15 by Lendl against McEnroe in a 1988 French Open match
15 by Smith in a semifinal against Rosewall at 1974 Wimbledon
15 by Connors against Ashe in the 1975 Wimbledon final
15 by Connors against Borg in a 1981 USO semifinal

Consecutive first serves are a form of good serving under pressure, if it's a big match -- and if you're not taking too much off the first serve just to get it in. Some streaks by Connors, to take just one example, would fall into the latter category.

 

[krosero]

Nobody missed a first serve yesterday in the 7-2 tiebreak that Federer won over Del Potro at WTF.

Federer went 5 for 5 (and lost no service points), Delpo 4 for 4.

Between them they served 3 aces, I think.

They were nearly as good in their Basel final a few weeks ago. Delpo won the first-set tiebreak 7-3. Nobody missed a first serve until Federer did, on the last point.

These two are definitely among the best at making first serves under pressure.

 

[krosero]

I think this is everything we have for Sampras:

1992 RG QF, lost to Agassi
Sampras made his first serve on 5 of 10 break points (50%). When facing break point, he won 3 of 5 on first serve (60%) and 1 of 5 on second (20%).

1993 Wimbledon QF, d. Agassi
Sampras made his first serve on 7 of 11 break points (64%). When facing break point, he won 5 of 7 on first serve (71%) and 2 of 4 on second (50%).

1993 Wimbledon final, d. Courier
Sampras made his first serve on 1 of 2 break points (50%). When facing break point, he won 0 of 1 on first serve (0%) and 0 of 1 on second (0%).

1993 USO final, d. Pioline
Sampras made his first serve on 1 of 3 first serves (33%). When facing break point, he won 0 of 1 on first serve (0%) and 1 of 2 on second (50%).

1995 AO final, lost to Agassi
Sampras made his first serve on 7 of 21 break points (33%). When facing break point, he won 5 of 7 on first serve (71%) and 11 of 14 on second (79%).

1995 USO final, d. Agassi
Sampras made his first serve on 5 of 6 break points (83%). When facing break point, he won 3 of 5 on first serve (60%) and 1 of 1 on second (100%).

1995 Davis Cup final, d. Chesnokov
Sampras made his first serve on 3 of 10 break points (30%). When facing break point, he won 2 of 3 on first serve (67%) and 3 of 7 on second serve (43%).

1995 Davis Cup final, d. Kafelnikov
Sampras made his first serve on 5 of 7 break points (71%). When facing break point, he won 3 of 5 on first serve (60%) and 2 of 2 on second (100%).

1996 AO R32, lost to Philippoussis
Sampras made his first serve on 2 of 6 break points (33%). When facing break point, he won 1 of 2 on first serve (50%) and 4 of 4 on second (100%).

1996 RG SF, lost to Kafelnikov
Sampras made his first serve on 8 of 13 break points (62%). When facing break point, he won 5 of 8 on first serve (63%) and 3 of 5 on second (60%).

1996 Wimbledon QF, lost to Krajicek
Sampras made his first serve on 2 of 5 break points (40%). When facing break point, he won 1 of 2 on first serve (50%) and 2 of 3 on second (67%).

1996 Stuttgart final, lost to Becker
Sampras made his first serve on 9 of 14 break points (64%). When facing break point, he won 8 of 9 on first serve (89%) and 2 of 5 on second (40%).

1996 Masters Cup RR, lost to Becker
Sampras made his first serve on 2 of 3 break points (67%). When facing break point, he won 1 of 2 on first serve (50%) and 1 of 1 on second (100%).

1996 Masters Cup final, d. Becker
Sampras made his first serve on 3 of 5 break points (60%). When facing break point, he won 3 of 3 on first serve (100%) and 1 of 2 on second (50%).

1998 USO SF, lost to Rafter
Sampras made his first serve on 4 of 6 break points (67%). When facing break point, he won 2 of 4 on first serve (50%) and 0 of 2 on second (0%).

2001 AO SF, lost to Agassi
Sampras made his first serve on 10 of 13 break points (77%). When facing break point, he won 9 of 10 on first serve (90%) and 1 of 3 on second (33%).

2001 Wimbledon R16, lost to Federer
Sampras made his first serve on 10 of 14 break points (71%). When facing break point, he won 8 of 10 on first serve (80%) and 3 of 4 on second (75%).

2001 USO final, lost to Hewitt
Sampras made his first serve on 7 of 13 break points (54%). When facing break point, he won 5 of 7 on first serve (71%) and 2 of 6 on second (33%).

2002 USO final, d. Agassi
Sampras made his first serve on 6 of 12 break points (50%). When facing break point, he won 6 of 6 on first serve (100%) and 4 of 6 on second (67%).


All break points saved:

1990 USO final, d. Agassi
Sampras made his first serve on 1 of 3 break points (33%).

1993 Wimbledon SF, d. Becker
Sampras made his first serve on 4 of 6 break points (67%).

1994 Wimbledon final, d. Ivanisevic
Sampras made his first serve on 2 of 2 break points (100%).

1997 Wimbledon final, d. Pioline
Sampras made his first serve on 0 of 1 break point.

1997 Grand Slam Cup final, d. Rafter
Sampras made his first serve on the only break point he faced.

1999 Wimbledon final, d. Agassi
Sampras made his first serve on 4 of 4 break points (100%).

2000 Wimbledon final, d. Rafter
Sampras made his first serve on 1 of 2 break points (50%).

2001 USO QF, d. Agassi
Sampras made his first serve on 2 of 3 break points (67%).

Outstanding stat for Sampras at '95 AO.

 

[Moose Malloy]

just came across this, I wonder if there is a place to see how all the top male players have done in this stat during the AO

Doing some prep work for the women’s final. Here’s a stat the Craig O’Shaughnessy unearthed: Serena Williams has faced 31 break points this event. She has made 23 first serves on those points and served eight aces. We speak in sports about “rising to the occasion.” Serena is the cliché, embodied.

http://www.si.com/tennis/2015/01/30/mailbag-sharapova-serena-murray-berdych

 

[krosero]

From Pancho Segura's Championship Strategy-How to play winning Tennis

"The best serve I have ever seen in tennis from the viewpoint of perfect rhythm, effortless motion, and effectiveness was that of Pancho Gonzalez. The toss was as smooth as silk, the knee motin classical, the **** of the arm impeccable, the arc made by arm and racket totally fluid--and the ball came off the racket like a bullet. In his best playing years, one could predict that, if Gonzalez was down 0-40 on serve, the first serve would always go in. It always did."

From Jack Kramer's book The Game--FIRST SERVE-Vines had the finest serve I ever saw, but Gonzales, the great competitor, was more consistent with his in the tightest spots. Tilden, too, must be ranked for speed and deception.

May be able to find more quotes later on Gonzalez's serve under pressure. I read somewhere that someone kept an informal record on year of Gonzalez's serve percentage on big points and it was extremely high.

I've found more from Segura, in an interview he gave in August '57. It was in the November '57 edition of World Tennis:

The touring pros were interviewed at Vittel by a sportswriter from L’Equipe, who asked each player in turn his most pleasant and his worst experience in tennis. Lew Hoad said his best memory was of the 1956 Wimbledon final when he trailed Rosewall 1-4 in the fourth set, then took five consecutive games and allowed Ken only three points to win the title. His most unpleasant memory was his match against Ham Richardson at Forest Hills when he pulled out a deficit of two sets to none, 5-1 and 40-0, and then was beaten in five sets. Rosewall said his best experience was over Hoad at Forest Hills in 1956. His most unpleasant experience was facing Gonzales across the net. Pancho Segura remembers the recent professional tournament in Australia where he won the biggest prize money ever to be offered in a tournament by beating Rosewall, Sedgman and Gonzales. His least pleasurable experiences in tennis were the leads he had on Gonzales’ serve—only to be aced.​

 

[Moose Malloy]

Wawrinka made 7 of 10 1st serves when down break point today. His most impressive game was making 5 straight 1st serves and winning 5 straight points when down 0-40, 3-4 in the 4th.

I was trying to remember other famous 0-40 comebacks in major finals, so far I can only come up with Becker vs Lendl at '86 Wimbledon(0-40, 4-5 down in 3rd set), any others?

Question for Moose or anyone else: do you know of any break point conversion lower than Tanner's 0-for-10?

came across one - Woodforde was 0 for 13 vs Philippoussis at '99 Wimbledon, per the ATP site.

 

[BTURNER]

Wawrinka made 7 of 10 1st serves when down break point today. His most impressive game was making 5 straight 1st serves and winning 5 straight points when down 0-40, 3-4 in the 4th.

I was trying to remember other famous 0-40 comebacks in major finals, so far I can only come up with Becker vs Lendl at '86 Wimbledon(0-40, 4-5 down in 3rd set), any others?



came across one - Woodforde was 0 for 13 vs Philippoussis at '99 Wimbledon, per the ATP site.

Not sure if this is what you meant as it is not pertinent to the OP on first serves. It is responsive to the question in bold.

Evert came back from a 0-40 deficit at either 5-5 or 5-4 in the third set of the 85 RG final vs Navratilova to win 7-5. If I recall, she got a cheap error, hit an ace , reached a drop shot , and went on to win the game.

 

[krosero]

Wawrinka made 7 of 10 1st serves when down break point today. His most impressive game was making 5 straight 1st serves and winning 5 straight points when down 0-40, 3-4 in the 4th.

I wonder if anyone knows how many first serves he made in the quarters against Federer; he saved all 4 break points he faced.

 

[krosero]

I was trying to remember other famous 0-40 comebacks in major finals, so far I can only come up with Becker vs Lendl at '86 Wimbledon(0-40, 4-5 down in 3rd set), any others?

Stan did it last year in the AO final, serving out the first set from love-40.

A few months earlier in the USO final Nadal escaped love-40 in the third set, in that game where he tripped and fell.

McEnroe held from love-40 twice in the fifth set against Borg, 1980 Wimb (not sure if you were speaking only of players who won the match).

Possibly an interesting stat to study. Might be a strong correlation between doing this and going on to win the match.

It certainly strikes a psychological blow.

Not sure if this is what you meant as it is not pertinent to the OP on first serves. It is responsive to the question in bold.

Evert came back from a 0-40 deficit at either 5-5 or 5-4 in the third set of the 85 RG final vs Navratilova to win 7-5. If I recall, she got a cheap error, hit an ace , reached a drop shot , and went on to win the game.

Yep, at 5-all in the third. Next year in the rematch Evert held from love-40 to serve out the second set.

 

[Moose Malloy]

Evert came back from a 0-40 deficit at either 5-5 or 5-4 in the third set of the 85 RG final vs Navratilova to win 7-5. If I recall, she got a cheap error, hit an ace , reached a drop shot , and went on to win the game.

thanks

McEnroe held from love-40 twice in the fifth set against Borg, 1980 Wimb (not sure if you were speaking only of players who won the match).

Possibly an interesting stat to study. Might be a strong correlation between doing this and going on to win the match.

do you remember which games this happened in? I'm gonna start a new thread.

 

[Moose Malloy]

Tiebreaks in this years Wimbledon final: set 1 - djokovic made 1st serves on 2 out of 4 pts. Fed 1 of 4. Set 2 - djokovic 10 of 11, fed 5 of 11. Last years final: set 1 - djokovic 6 of 8, fed 5 of 8. Set 3 - djokovic 5 of 6, fed 5 of 5.

 

[Anaconda]

Roddick held serve 10 times to stay in the match in the 09 Wimbledon final.

Federer W07 final has to be there as well.

 

[krosero]

Tiebreaks in this years Wimbledon final: set 1 - djokovic made 1st serves on 2 out of 4 pts. Fed 1 of 4. Set 2 - djokovic 10 of 11, fed 5 of 11. Last years final: set 1 - djokovic 6 of 8, fed 5 of 8. Set 3 - djokovic 5 of 6, fed 5 of 5.

Not great numbers from Federer, especially considering how well he's done in this stat for years.

 

[Moose Malloy]

Finally seeing this stat mentioned in match reports.
2015 AO: Nadal made 14/15 first serves down bp, Verdasco 13/16.

 

[boredone3456]

While I don't know the numbers these come to mind

1. Roddick 09 Wimbledon final
2. Both Isner and Mahut in their epic Wimbledon match
3. Serena against Dementieva at wimbledon in 2009 I believe? The one where she saved matched point on her serve.
4. I'm guessing a guy like Goran would have to have a match worthy of this discussion from one of his Wimbledon runs? Again I'd need a stat expert from around here because I'm not one.


If we are talking players who generally served well under pressure, I'd have to nominate Lendl, Mac, Pete and Federer. For the Ladies Serena immediately comes to mind for her 2nd serve alone.

 

[Moose Malloy]

Came across a 13/13 performance by Kodes in the 73 USO final. Was broken 5 times.

 

[Moose Malloy]

Another good one for isner - 5/6 vs groth in Davis cup

 

[Moose Malloy]

Stan made 10/17 first serves when down break point yesterday. Saved 5/7 with his 2nd serve

 

[dr7]

The Real pressure is on the 2ND SERVE.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Moose Malloy]

Came across Muller's serve stats facing break point vs Nadal.

He made first serves on 12 of the 16 break points. Won 11 of the 12 on first serve, 3 of 4 on 2nd.

 

[krosero]

These are the highest service percentages I know of in fifth sets, among matches that we have charted or historic matches that we've researched. Much of this data comes from @Moose Malloy and @Waspsting.

92.7%	Wilander​	1988 USO​	final​	​	​	Lendl​	​
90.48%	Chang​	1989 RG​	final​	​	​	Edberg​	Clay​
88%	Kodes​	1973 USO​	final​	​	Loss​	Newcombe​	​
87.0%	Smith​	1974 Wimbledon​	SF​	​	Loss​	Rosewall​	​
86.7%	Agassi​	1988 RG​	SF​	6-0​	Loss​	Wilander​	Clay​
86.0%	Wilander​	1988 AO​	final​	8-6​	​	Cash​	​
85.0%	Nadal​	2017 AO​	final​	​	Loss​	Federer​	​
83%	Borg​	1980 USO​	QF​	​	​	Tanner​	​
82.4%	Connors​	1981 Wimbledon​	SF​	​	Loss​	Borg​	​
82%	Gonzalez​	1969 Wimbledon​	R128​	11-9​	​	Pasarell​	​
82%	Roche​	1975 Wimbledon​	SF​	​	Loss​	Ashe​	​
81.6%	Isner​	2012 RG​	R64​	18-16​	Loss​	Mathieu​	Clay​
81.3%	Mecir​	1986 USO​	SF​	​	​	Becker​	​
81%	Lendl​	1988 AO​	SF​	​	Loss​	Cash​	​
81%	Coria​	2005 Rome​	final​	7-6​	Loss​	Nadal​	Clay​
80.3%	Isner​	2019 Wimbledon​	SF​	26-24​	Loss​	Anderson​	​
79.2%	Borg​	1981 RG​	final​	​	​	Lendl​	Clay​
79.2%	Wilander​	1988 AO​	SF​	​	​	Edberg​	​
79.2%	Federer​	2004 USO​	QF​	​	​	Agassi​	​
79.0%	Borg​	1979 Wimbledon​	final​	​	​	Tanner​	​
78.3%	Del Potro​	2009 USO​	final​	​	​	Federer​	​
78.1%	Rosewall​	1970 Sydney​	final​	​	Loss​	Laver​	​
78%	Leconte​	1988 RG​	R16​	​	​	Becker​	Clay​
77.3%	Roddick​	2008 AO​	R32​	8-6​	Loss​	Kohlschreiber​	​
76.9%	Agassi​	2004 USO​	QF​	​	Loss​	Federer​	​
76.9%	Djokovic​	2014 AO​	QF​	9-7​	Loss​	Wawrinka​	​
76.7%	McEnroe​	1987 Davis Cup​	relegation​	​	Loss​	Becker​	​
76.2%	Anderson​	2019 Wimbledon​	SF​	26-24​	​	Isner​	​
76.47%	Dimitrov​	2019 USO​	QF​	​	​	Federer​	​
76%	Connors​	1984 USO​	SF​	​	Loss​	McEnroe​	​
75.9%	Pernfors​	1986 Davis Cup​	final​	​	Loss​	Cash​	​
75.47%	Nadal​	2018 Wimbledon​	SF​	10-8​	Loss​	Djokovic​	​
75.0%	Becker​	1986 USO​	SF​	​	Loss​	Mecir​	​
75.0%	Federer​	2007 Wimbledon​	final​	​	​	Nadal​	​
75.0%	Nadal​	2018 Wimbledon​	QF​	​	​	Del Potro​	​

Please post any other outstanding rates you know of.

 

[krosero]

These didn't fit under 10000 characters

74.2%	Borg​	1980 Wimbledon​	final​	8-6​	​	McEnroe​	​
74.2%	Sampras​	2001 Wimbledon​	R16​	7-5​	Loss​	Federer​	​
74.2%	Roddick​	2009 Wimbledon​	final​	16-14​	Loss​	Federer​	​
74%	Edberg​	1988 Wimbledon​	SF​	​	​	Mecir​	​
73.9%	Isner​	2010 Wimbledon​	R128​	70-68​	​	Mahut​	​
73.9%	Rafter​	2000 Wimbledon​	SF​	​	​	Agassi​	​
73.7%	Becker​	1987 Davis Cup​	relegation​	​	​	McEnroe​	​
73.1%	Wilander​	1985 USO​	SF​	​	Loss​	McEnroe​	​
73%	Edberg​	1992 Wimbledon​	QF​	​	Loss​	Ivanisevic​	​
72.5%	Nalbandian​	2005 YEC​	final​	7-6​	​	Federer​	​
72.4%	Sampras​	1996 Stuttgart​	final​	​	Loss​	Becker​	​
72.3%	Thiem​	2019 RG​	SF​	7-5​	​	Djokovic​	Clay​
72.0%	Djokovic​	2013 RG​	SF​	9-7​	Loss​	Nadal​	Clay​
72%	Borg​	1977 Wimbledon​	final​	​	​	Connors​	​
71.43%	Gasquet​	2007 Wimbledon​	QF​	8-6​	​	Roddick​	​
71.42%	Connors​	1980 Wimbledon​	QF​	​	​	Tanner​	​
71.4%	Sampras​	1998 Wimbledon​	final​	​	​	Ivanisevic​	​
71.3%	Mathieu​	2012 RG​	R64​	18-16​	​	Isner​	Clay​
71.1%	Djokovic​	2019 RG​	SF​	7-5​	Loss​	Thiem​	Clay​
71.0%	Federer​	2008 Wimbledon​	final​	9-7​	Loss​	Nadal​	​
71%	Mecir​	1988 Wimbledon​	SF​	​	Loss​	Edberg​	​
70.6%	Cilic​	2018 AO​	final​	​	Loss​	Federer​	​
70.6%	Del Potro​	2018 Wimbledon​	QF​	​	Loss​	Nadal​	​
70.45%	Amritraj​	1974 USO​	R64​	​	​	Borg​	​
70.4%	Djokovic​	2013 USO​	SF​	​	​	Wawrinka​	​
70.0%	Rosewall​	1970 Wimbledon​	final​	​	Loss​	Newcombe​	​
70.0%	McEnroe​	1980 USO​	final​	​	​	Borg​	​
70.0%	Murray​	2012 USO​	final​	​	​	Djokovic​	​

I've noted sets going above 5-all, or bagels

 

[Moose Malloy]

Very impressive for Borg to serve over 70% in the 5th sets of 4 major finals.

Shocked that Becker served at 75% vs Mecir in 86 and lost. Will have to rewatch that set.

 

[Waspsting]

….Please post any other outstanding rates you know of.

you and your fifth sets....

70% +, I have...

*Wilander 16/17 @ 94% French Open '82 vs Lendl
(match cuts off with Mats on match point 40-15 and only shows end of last point, not the serve. Most likely, there was just one more point - actual number most likely 17/18, possibly 16/18... possibly more points that Lendl won too)

Wilander 19/21 @ 90% Davis Cup '88 vs Noah

Connors 37/44 @ 84% US Open '80 vs McEnroe

Agassi 25/32 @ 78% French Open '99 vs Medvedev

Lendl 18/24 @ 75% Wembley '85 vs Becker

Djokovic 32/44 @ 70% US Open '10 vs Federer

Agassi 16/22 @ 70% Australian Open '01 vs Rafter

* Gerulaitis 16/23 @ 69.56% Masters '81 vs Lendl