Match Stats/Report - Becker vs Krajicek, Year End Championship semi-final, 1996

[Waspsting]

Boris Becker beat Richard Krajicek 6-7(4), 7-6(3), 6-3 the Year End Championship (World Tour Finals) final, 1996 on carpet in Hanover, Germany

Becker would go onto lose the final to Pete Sampras. Krajicek was the reigning Wimbledon champion

Becker won 101 points, Krajicek 96

Krajicek serve-volleyed off all serves, Becker off all first serves and rarely off seconds

(Note: I'm missing 1 Becker service point, which he won
Missing points - Set 2, Game 6, Point 1)

Serve Stats
Becker...
- 1st serve percentage (53/98) 54%
- 1st serve points won (50/53) 94%
- 2nd serve points won (22/45) 49%
- Unknown serve point won (1/1)
- Aces 15 (1 second serve), Service Winners 2
- Double Faults 12
- Unreturned Serve Percentage (43/98) 44%

Krajicek...
- 1st serve percentage (60/98) 61%
- 1st serve points won (48/60) 80%
- 2nd serve points won (22/38) 58%
- Aces 19 (1 second serve, 1 not clean), Service Winners 1
- Double Faults 5
- Unreturned Serve Percentage (44/98) 45%

Serve Pattern
Becker served...
- to FH 41%
- to BH 44%
- to Body 15%

Krajicek served...
- to FH 39%
- to BH 58%
- to Body 3%

Return Stats
Becker made...
- 49 (16 FH, 33 BH)
- 1 Winner (1 BH)
- 24 Errors, all forced...
- 24 Forced (7 FH, 17 BH)
- Return Rate (49/93) 53%

Krajicek made...
- 43 (13 FH, 30 BH), including 2 return-approaches
- 2 Winners (1 FH, 1 BH)
- 26 Errors, comprising...
- 3 Unforced (2 FH, 1 BH)
- 23 Forced (6 FH, 17 BH)
- Return Rate (43/86) 50%

Break Points
Becker 2/2
Krajicek 1/1

Winners (including returns, excluding serves)
Becker 18 (3 FH, 4 BH, 5 FHV, 4 BHV, 2 OH)
Krajicek 21 (3 FH, 1 BH, 7 FHV, 6 BHV, 4 OH)

Becker had 11 from serve-volley points
- 10 first 'volleys' (4 FHV, 3 BHV, 2 OH, 1 FH at net)
- 1 second volley (1 FHV)

- FHs - 1 cc and 1 dtl pass
- BHs - 1 cc pass, 2 dtl (1 pass) and 1 inside-in return pass

Krajicek had 16 from serve-volley points
- 5 first volleys (3 FHV, 1 BHV, 1 OH)... 1 FHV was a swinging shot
- 11 second volleys (4 FHV, 4 BHV, 3 OH)... 1 BHV can reasonably be called a BHOH

- 1 from a return-approach point, a BHV

- FHs - 1 cc, 1 inside-out and 1 inside-in return
- BH pass - 1 inside-in/cc return

Errors (excluding returns and serves)
Becker 19
- 5 Unforced (3 FH, 2 BH)
- 14 Forced (5 FH, 6 BH, 2 FHV, 1 BHV)
- Unforced Error Forcefulness Index 52

Krajicek 34
- 14 Unforced (2 FH, 4 BH, 6 FHV, 2 BHV)... with 1 FH at net & 1 BH at net
- 20 Forced (4 FH, 6 BH, 5 FHV, 1 FH1/2V, 4 BHV)... with 1 BH running-down-drop-volley at net
- Unforced Error Forcefulness Index 52.9

(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
Becker was...
- 44/48 (92%) at net, including...
- 41/44 (93%) serve-volleying, comprising...
- 34/37 (92%) off 1st serve and...
- 7/7 (100%) off 2nd serve
---
- 1/1 forced back

Krajicek was...
- 51/76 (67%) at net, including...
- 49/72 (68%) serve-volleying, comprising...
- 28/40 (70%) off 1st serve and...
- 21/32 (66%) off 2nd serve
---
- 1/2 return-approaching

Match Report
Two big servers, serve-volleying on a fast court. Almost all easy holds, mostly based on unreturned serves. Point here and there to decide matters and result goes Becker's way

Story of the match is easy holds for both players and returner fighting for scraps. There key factor is overwhelming strength of both players serve and everything else is pushed way, way into background. Within that context, Becker returning better does nudge the odds of the result landing his way

One major tactical difference (regarding serve-volley choices) and a statistically interesting one (regarding basic service points number). Krajicek serve-volleys 100% of the time. Boris does so off first serves, but rarely off seconds (22% of the time to be exact)

Krajicek dominates both his serves serve-volleying and double faults relatively rarely (5 times)
'Dominating' is an understatement to what Boris does on his first serve points. Virtually perfect is better way of putting it. 94% first serve points won, 92% net points won, 93% serve-volleying, 92% serve-volleying off first serve (and 100% serve-volleying off second serves)... I think his net and serve-volley numbers are the highest I've seen, for one doing so constantly. But he double faults a lot (12 time... about 1 every 4 second serves) and ends with just 49% second serve points won as a result

Looking at basic service numbers -

Serve Percentage - Boris 54%, Kraj 61%
1st serve won - Boris 94%, Kraj 80%
2nd serve won - Boris 49%, Kraj 58% (key to which is Boris' 12 double faults)

- I would favour Krajicek's as the less likely to give up a break. Just too many double faults for Boris for comfort. He's not unlikely to break himself with a figure that high. Despite the big serving, he's just +3 on aces - double faults. Krajicek is +14. In other words, while Boris hands over second serve points, Krajicek leaves Boris to work for. And work hard for for that matter - Krajicek's second serve is definitely good enough to serve-volley behind, as his 66% won doing so indicates. And its kept that low by very good returning from Boris

Not overly strong second serving from Boris. As in, not 2 first serves quality stuff. He draws return errors when staying back with it and most have been marked forced errors. Still, Kraj hits a winner and manages to return-approach twice. He wins the first and is only kept from the second by a fantastic and improbable running pass. Given strength of his second serve, I'd say 12 double faults is much too high - discredit to Boris for that

Might Boris be better of serve-volleying off second serves more? He's a perfect 7/7 on the play. Discounting that, double faults and his one ace, he's 14/25 staying back or 56% points won
On points he stays back on, Boris hammers the third ball with point ending force off both wings. Misses a few or ends the points or leaves himself in complete command of it when he makes the shot. This his norm on carpet around this period. If your going to play that aggressively, why not just serve-volley? Kraj rarely hits powerful returns and Becker is virtually flawless on the volley (3 errors - all forced). He'd probably be better off serve-volleying regularly off second serves, but staying back most of the time and hitting point ending third ball groundstrokes is his thing - both here, and generally in this period. He's a lot more error prone off the big third ball groundstroke than he is the volley - and given Kraj's returning, serve-volleying would be better option

 

[Waspsting]

Serve, Return and Serve-Volleying
Skipping over overwhelming serve of both men and resultant 44% and 45% unreturned rates, Boris returns powerfully. Regulation placed returns down the middle are hard enough hit to not be easy to control for Kraj and he regularly gets balls wide or low - more wide than low

Kraj does well to control his first volley. Someone like Goran Ivanisevic would almost certainly make a mess against it and even as fine a volleyer as Stefan Edberg struggles against it (and he almost never has a 45% unreturned rate cushion to fall back on). Kraj with 11 2nd volley winners to just 5 is a product of power of Boris' returns. He struggles against the more difficult, wide and low volleys though and usually gives up the error. 10 'volley' FEs for Krajicek (1 is a half-volley), which is more than he makes. Credit Boris' returning and passing for this, not discredit Kraj's volleying... I'd say Kraj volleyed well if he'd got more in play. They're very difficult shots, though rarely impossible ones

Kraj goes for a swinging FHV occasionally. Its not necessary. Makes a critical error that sees him get broken when serving for first set doing so

On flip side, Kraj returns routinely down center with average force. Boris faces regulation volleys and is very efficient at dealing with them. 0 UEs and just 3 FEs. He either hits winners or volleys far enough away that Kraj has very difficult running pass. 0 passing winners in play from Kraj

The aggression Boris shows from the back off his second serve points leads to a cat and mouse game. Kraj takes to hammering second serve return, thus making a few errors (some serves are genuinely forceful too) or otherwise attacking it. He has 1 return winner against Boris on baseline, a very bold chip-charge return that he wins with great reflex volley and an excellent hard, wide hit return-approach he loses only due to a an even better running Boris pass

On the serve alone, Boris wisely doesn't go all out with the first serve. He's doing more than well enough as is. Same thing with second serves, which is why the 12 double faults is disappointing from his point of view.
Kraj starts of holding back a bit on first serve but as match goes on, blasts them down as hard as he can. By third set, he seems to be serving significantly harder first serves than Boris

Match Progression
Easy holds til end of first set. Boris gets the odd strong return off that draws non-aggressive volleys that leave him reasonable shot on pass and looks a bit more likely to break (neither look likely at all).
Out of the blue, horror game from Boris to get broken to love, with 2 double faults and FH UE. Kraj serves for the set but is broken to 30. Couple good shots from Boris, but Kraj missing a BH at net and a needless swinging FHV take the eye

Boris leads tiebreak 4-1 after forcing a FH1/2V error but doesn't win another point. A double fault hands back mini-break and he misses FHV against a powerful return to fall behind before Kraj serves it out

Second set is even more serve dominated. Kraj serves even harder than earlier - and he wasn't exactly rolling serves in before. After hitting his only return-winner of the match, Boris humorously gestures a thanks to the Universe

Its Kraj's turn to go down 4-1 in tiebreak. Again, it starts with a double fault and next point, he misses a high, wide FHV. He spanks a BH dtl return point after and charges net but Boris is up to hitting a strong, error forcing FH dtl pass on the run to stay ahead. And he goes on to serve out set

Boris serves relatively normal second serves in final set and there's some variety in play due to it and Kraj trying to attack the shot. Poor game from Kraj to get broken. From 30-15, he misses a regulation from just under net BHV, double faults and finally, misses an easy FHV

Back to back double faults sees next game go to deuce but Boris holds and has no more hiccups serving through to the end

Summing up, w big servers serve-volleying on a fast court match where returner has little chance or hope. Boris returns strongly when he can get ball back, nudging odds his way but is also sloppy with double faults. Krajicek falters more on the volley too, while Boris is almost flawless against unchallenging returns and passes. Next to nothing in the result

Stats for final and round robin match between Becker and Pete Sampras - (2) Duel Match Stats/Report - Sampras vs Becker, Year End Championship final & round robin, 1996 | Talk Tennis (tennis-warehouse.com)
Stats for Wimbledon quarter-final between Krajicek and Sampras - (2) Match Stats/Report - Krajicek vs Sampras, Wimbledon quarter-final, 1996 | Talk Tennis (tennis-warehouse.com)

 

[The Green Mile]

You gotta edit out that scoreline there, 197 points in 55 games (plus the TB) doesn't seem plausible lol.... That's the Pete/Boris scoreline

 

[Waspsting]

You gotta edit out that scoreline there, 197 points in 55 games (plus the TB) doesn't seem plausible lol.... That's the Pete/Boris scoreline

Thanks for the catch

Been awhile since I did that. I once left out the score altogether and someone replied to the effect "all that detail and work... and you didn't even write the score"

On the upside, don't think I've ever not reported serving patterns. Priorities