Match Stats/Report - Becker vs Edberg, Year End Championship round robin, 1994

Waspsting

Hall of Fame
Boris Becker beat Stefan Edberg 6-7(3), 6-4, 7-5 in the Year End Championship round robin, 1994 on indoor carpet in Frankfurt, Germany

The result eliminated Edberg (1-2 record) and saw Becker top the group with a 3-0 record. Had Edberg won, he would have advanced in lieu of Pete Sampras. Had Edberg won by a particular score, he would have advanced as top of the group. Becker’s spot in the semi-final was assured regardless of result. Becker would go onto lose the final to Sampras

Becker won 104 points, Edberg 101

Becker serve-volleyed off all first serves and most seconds, Edberg off all but 2 first serves about a third off the time off seconds

Serve Stats
Becker...
- 1st serve percentage (63/103) 61%
- 1st serve points won (45/63) 71%
- 2nd serve points won (21/40) 53%
- Aces 9 (2 second serves)
- Double Faults 5
- Unreturned Serve Percentage (37/103) 36%

Edberg...
- 1st serve percentage (72/102) 71%
- 1st serve points won (50/72) 69%
- 2nd serve points won (14/30) 47%
- Aces 5
- Double Faults 4
- Unreturned Serve Percentage (30/102) 29%

Serve Patterns
Becker served...
- to FH 45%
- to BH 46%
- to Body 9%

Edberg served...
- to FH 35%
- to BH 48%
- to Body 17%

Return Stats
Becker made...
- 68 (27 FH, 41 BH), including 1 return-approach
- 7 Winners (2 FH, 5 BH)
- 25 Errors, all comprising...
- 2 Unforced (1 FH, 1 BH)
- 23 Forced (7 FH, 16 BH)
- Return Rate (68/98) 69%

Edberg made...
- 61 (29 FH, 32 BH), including 1 return-approach
- 7 Winners (5 FH, 2 BH)
- 28 Errors, all comprising...
- 1 Unforced (1 FH)
- 27 Forced (11 FH, 16 BH)
- Return Rate (61/98) 62%

Break Points
Becker 5/8 (5 games)
Edberg 3/4 (4 games)

Winners (including returns, excluding serves)
Becker 31 (10 FH, 6 BH, 5 FHV, 8 BHV, 2 OH)
Edberg 28 (10 FH, 4 BH, 7 FHV, 4 BHV, 3 OH)

Becker had 15 from serve-volley points -
- 5 first 'volleys' (1 FHV, 3 BHV, 1 FH at net)
- 10 second volleys (4 FHV, 5 BHV, 1 OH)

- 12 passes - 6 returns (1 FH, 5 BH) & 6 regular (6 FH)
- FH returns - 1 inside-out
- BH returns - 2 cc, 1 dtl, 2 inside-out (1 which Edberg probably left)
- regular FHs - 2 cc, 1 inside-out, 1 inside-out/dtl, 1 inside-out/longline, 1 inside-in, 1 lob

- regular FH return - 1 inside-out
- regular BH - 1 net chord dribbler

Edberg had 16 from serve-volley points -
- 11 first 'volleys' (5 FHV, 2 BHV, 2 OH, 2 FH at net)
- 5 second volleys (2 FHV, 2 BHV, 1 OH)

- 9 passes - 7 returns (5 FH, 2 BH) & 2 regular (2 BH)
- FH returns - 3 cc, 1 inside-out, 1 inside-in
- BHs returns - 1 dtl, 1 inside-out
- regular BHs - 1 cc, 1 dtl

- reglar (non-pass) FH - 1 cc

Errors (excluding serves and returns)
Becker 38
- 11 Unforced (2 FH, 4 BH, 3 FHV, 2 BHV)
- 27 Forced (4 FH, 13 BH, 3 FHV, 2 FH1/2V, 4 BHV, 1 BH1/2V)... with 1 FH running-down-drop-shot at net & 1 BH at net
- Unforced Error Forcefulness Index 48.2

Edberg 32
- 13 Unforced (2 FH, 4 BH, 3 FHV, 4 BHV)
- 19 Forced (2 FH, 10 BH, 2 FHV, 1 FH1/2V, 3 BHV, 1 BH1/2V)
- Unforced Error Forcefulness Index 49.2

(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 are keyed on 4 categories - 20 defensive, 40 neutral, 50 attacking and 60 winner attempt)

Net Points & Serve-Volley
Becker was...
- 55/85 (65%) at net, including...
- 52/80 (65%) serve-volleying, comprising...
- 38/56 (68%) off 1st serve and...
- 14/24 (58%) off 2nd serve
---
- 1/1 return-approaching
- 1/3 (33%) forced back

Edberg was...
- 54/81 (67%) at net, including...
- 49/74 (66%) serve-volleying, comprising...
- 44/65 (68%) off 1st serve and...
- 5/9 (56%) off 2nd serve
---
- 1/1 return-approaching

Match Report
Point-here, point-there affair, and Becker’s greater ability to send down the untouchable ace giving him an edge. Court is fast, though slower than average for this tournament around the period

Its not full serve-volley match. Both virtually serve-volley off all first serves (Edbergs stays back twice, once hard forcing a return error anyway) but from get-go, Edberg prefers to stay back off most second serves

Second serve-volleying frequency - Boris 73%, Edberg 35%
Second serve-volleying points won - Boris 58%, Edberg 56%
Not second serve-volleying points won- Boris 56%, Edberg 53%

Normal baseline rallies on non-serve-volley points, with two players trading firm groundstrokes, neither particularly looking for net. So there is some baseline play

Serve-volleying stuff is virtually equal
- winning first serve-volleys - both 68%

Coupling that with the second serve breakdowns above, things look virtually equal, with Boris having slim and probably indecisive advantage

Aces - Boris 9, Edberg 5
Unreturned serves - Boris 36%, Edberg 29% (raw number difference also 7)

With 2 second serves among Boris’ yield, the aces gives both first and second serve points won a little boost

Match so tight, ‘little boost’ is all it takes to to tilt things this way or that

Points won - Boris 104, Edberg 101
Points served - Boris 103, Edberg 102

Can you tell who won the match going on that?

First serve in - Boris 61%, Edberg 71%
First serve won - Boris 71%, Edberg 69%
Second Serve won - Boris 53%, Edberg 47%

Or that?

Break points - Boris 5/8 (5 games), Edberg 3/4 (4 games)
That’s the point-here, point-there thing

In some of the pair’s matches, Boris has slightly better of everything, flowing out of his more potent serve (because of that, he can return with more heat and because of the returning, he can volley more comfily and because of the volleying, he has better looks at passes). You could say this is a very watered down version of that. Boris does have the bigger, more potent serve - his leading aces 9-5 and freebies 36-29% are testimony to that, but its small and the chain reaction of superiority isn’t really present

Any advantage though is nudge in the right direction for winning prospects go and said nudge ends up tilting result way it goes
 

Waspsting

Hall of Fame
Action & Stats
Both players mixing up their serves

Boris serving evenly across wings (45% to FH, 46% to BH) is a little unusual for him to Edberg. He usually serves bulk to BH. Good lot out wide to FH in deuce court, a risky serve when serve-volleying but one he’s apt to take on (and faces price - Edberg has 3 FH cc return-pass winners). And not always all-in with every serve - some faster, some slower, good 9% to body

By contrast, he all out ‘botted in both his matches against Pete Sampras seemingly looking for aces and freebies with every serve

Boris’ first serve ace rates
- here 11%
- round robin vs Sampras 28%
- final vs Sampras 35%

Unreturned rates for both those matches were 10% higher than the substantial 36% here
Differences are too big to be explained by just differences in Sampras and Edberg’s returning. Edberg being a particularly difficult guy to ace and particularly good at getting returns back in play

So seemingly, an element of Boris being confident he had enough to take out Edberg, but more wary of Sampras or playing with something in reserve here

Facing same amount of serves to either wing, Edberg making 3 more BH returns, but striking 3 more FH winners

The not all-out serving leaves Boris work to do on the volley. 10 second volley winners to 5 first volley ones isn’t his norm. He makes good, wide first volleys against decent, firm returns anywhere from slightly under net to low-ish. Edberg scrambling about to make the running the pass and Boris with open court for second volley winner. Even than, doesn’t get putaway volleys for them

So good, combination volleying from Boris. Returns are good enough to invite tricky UEs and raise possiblity of not well placed volleys that leave good look at the pass. Boris neither missing not-easy first volleys or leaving volleys in middle of court and careful in finishing with the second volley

Edberg serving quite powerfully by his norm, that norm being of type where aces are rare. 5 or 7% of first serves is good for him. Good lot of 17% body serves, but the serves to the wings are wider than his norm (which tends to have high lot crampingly close)

“Not crampingly close” is not necessarily a good thing from his point of view. Unless its wide enough to stretch Boris out, he’s potentially looking at hammer and tongs returning, that’d be be a challenge to volley on power grounds alone even when not widely placed. To an extent, does face that

Boris returning more powerfully, so Edberg having less time on the first volley
‘Volley’ winners - both 16
Volley UEs - Boris 5, Edberg 7
‘Volley’ FEs - Boris 10, Edberg 7

Passing winners - Boris 12, Edberg 11
Ground FEs (close to all passes) - Boris 17, Edberg 12

Little in any of that (as expected with net points and serve-volley points so similar)

Few more ground FEs for Boris compensated for by his drawing more return errors
Edberg’s chances of coming out ahead, given his trailing on the serve shot has to do with volleying better. Breakdown of serve-volleying winners speak to his making headway down that road -

First ‘volley’ winners - Boris 5, Edberg 11
Second volley winners - Boris 10, Edberg 5

…. with Boris volleying well, both first and second volleys. There’s room to misstep on first volley (missing the not-easy ones or leaving good passing chances), there’s room to misstep on the second (needs care to put them away, even with court open). Boris doesn’t misstep

Finally, Edberg is maybe half a step slower than his best. His movements are fine by normal standard. Misses a few makeably difficult wide volleys at good height. They’re FEs but sort of thing he at least was in habit of making for winners

Match Progression
First set is even and in line with rest of match - Boris occasionally not second serve-volleying, Edberg staying back off most second serves. Boris serves 39 points in the set, Edberg36. 1 break each and Edberg has 1 break point in another game

Just 1 first serve in 6 points in opening game by Boris - and he’s down 15-30 after a shoelace FHV FE and Edberg striking a BH inside-out return pass winner. He makes 7/8 first serves next go around (staying back on second serve for first time) and saves a break point with an unreturned serve. All 5 of his winners in these games are second volleys, most of them not putaway ones

Edberg with better in count but gets a few tough volleys too and holds to 30 twice as score moves to 2-2. Stays back on second serves and even a first in these games

Boris breaks first for 4-2. Push-guides a BH inside-out return pass winner and smacks a BH cc one early to reach 15-40, and Edberg misses a not difficult second FHV that he tries to angle fine for winner. Pass has pace, but not a difficult shot and marked a UE

Boris unable to serve out the set at 5-3. Good game from Edberg - running FH dtl pass winner after drawing 1/2volley first up, captilizing on a bad first FH at net to force a wide volleying error, and wrapping with a BH dtl pass winner after giving Boris a wide first volley

Tiebreak. Edberg approaches behind a tricky wide return to win first point, a first serve that Boris was serve-volleying behind. Boris gets mini-break back with net chord dribbling winner, but Edberg lashes a FH inside-out return pass winner against a second serve in the slot. Adds a another return-pass winner (BH dtl against second serve) for good measure before wrapping up 7-3

Boris has comfily better of second set and leads by 2 breaks at 4-1, grabbbing both breaks with powerful returns (Edberg throws in a double fault both games too)
Edberg snags 1 break back, with Boris making a couple of FHV UEs and double faulting, before Edberg strikes winners last 2 points (hooked FH cc return-pass and a running FH dtl pass where he guesses right and is off to meet the ball before Boris hits his first volley cc)

The one break advantage is enough though and in time, Boris serves out to 15 and its onto the decider

Boris with slightly better of the set, being able to get powerful returns off quite regularly. He serves 32 points in to Edberg’s 38. Both players win 16 first serve points - Boris from 19 first serves, Edberg 25

Still, its Edberg who breaks first. Having held a deuce game for 2-1, he wins couple points aggressively (FH1/2V FE and FH cc return-pass winner), while Boris double faults twice
Boris hits back at once. Edberg probably leaves a return that lands in for a winner, a slightly mishit, high ball and is a little slow in missing a wide but high BHV. Boris return-approaches powerfully for only time in match to seal the break

Things continue on serve more or less comfortably. Edberg holds deuce game for 5-4 but is broken in same length game next go around. Like most breaks in the match - some helps from the server involved (double fault and a not easy BHV UE). Edberg also not striking the best of back-pedalling OHs to get passed FH inside-out/longline. Boris finishes the game by whacking a FH inside-in pass winner after drawing a first 1/2volley

And Boris serves out to 15 with 4 unreturened serves, including 2 particularly good second serves (1 of them an ace, the other probably would force error even without the serve-volley)

Summing up, good match and close one with the two players evenly matched in almost all areas. Becker having slightly more powerful serve - while seemingly holding back some on it - gives him a little advantage. Not enough to guarantee victory, but making it more likely than otherwise

Other points of interest are Becker volleying soundly and well, using two volleys to finish points - good wide first volleys, but not going overboard in trying to hit winners with them, and careful finishing with the second volley. And Edberg half a step off in moving for not-hard to not-easy, wide volleys

Stats for the final and round robin match between Becker and Pete Sampras - Duel Match Stats/Report - Sampras vs Becker, Year End Championship finals & round robin, 1994 | Talk Tennis (tennis-warehouse.com)
 
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