Match Stats/Report - Djokovic vs Nadal, US Open final 2011

[Waspsting]

Novak Djokovic beat Raphael Nadal 6-2, 6-4, 6-7(3), 6-1 in the US Open final, 2011 on hard court

The win gave Djokovic his first USO title in his third final and 3rd Slam title of the year, while Nadal been the defending champion. It was the pairs 2nd straight Slam final, following on Wimbledon and they would uniquely, go on to contest the following two as well

Djokovic won 146 points, Nadal 122

Serve Stats
Djokovic...
- 1st serve percentage (87/127) 69%
- 1st serve points won (56/87) 64%
- 2nd serve points won (18/40) 45%
- Aces 7, Service Winners 3
- Double Faults 1
- Unreturned Serve Percentage (21/127) 17%

Nadal....
- 1st serve percentage (97/141) 69%
- 1st serve points won (51/97) 53%
- 2nd serve points won (16/44) 36%
- Aces 2, Service Winners 1
- Double Faults 3
- Unreturned Serve Percentage (22/141) 16%

Serve Patterns
Djokovic served...
- to FH 37%
- to BH 61%
- to Body 2%

Nadal served....
- to FH 30%
- to BH 65%
- to Body 5%

Return Stats
Djokovic made...
- 116 (52 FH, 64 BH), including 17 runaround FHs
- 3 Winners (2 FH, 1 BH)
- 19 Errors, comprising...
- 2 Unforced (2 FH)
- 17 Forced (5 FH, 12 BH)
- Return Rate (116/138) 84%

Nadal made...
- 105 (43 FH, 62 BH), including 9 runaround FHs
- 1 Winner (1 BH)
- 11 Errors, comprising...
- 3 Unforced (3 FH), including 3 runaround FH attempts
- 8 Forced (4 FH, 4 BH)
- Return Rate (105/126) 83%

Break Points
Djokovic 11/25 (12 games)
Nadal 6/14 (8 games)

Winners (including returns, excluding serves)
Djokovic 40 (18 FH, 12 BH, 4 FHV, 1 BHV, 5 OH)
Nadal 29 (17 FH, 6 BH, 1 FHV, 2 BHV, 3 OH)

Djokovic's FHs - 5 cc, 2 dtl (1 not clean), 7 inside-out, 1 drop shot. He had two further return winners - 1 dtl, 1 inside-out

- on the BH - 3 cc, 6 dtl, 1 inside-out, 1 drop shot. He had one further return - a crosscourt

- 1 FHV was a drop volley and his sole BHV was a stop volley

Nadal's FHs - 3 cc, 2 dtl, 8 inside-out, 2 inside-in and 2 at net. Additionally, he had 1 pass - longline

- on the BH - 3 cc (1 a return) and 3 dtl (1 a pass)

- 2 shots played with both players at net - the sole FHV and an OH

Errors (excluding serves and returns)
Djokovic 69
- 49 Unforced (27 FH, 18 BH, 2 BHV, 2 OH)
- 20 Forced (12 FH, 3 BH, 2 FHV, 1 FH1/2V, 2 BHV)
- Unforced Error Forcefulness Index 46.7

Nadal 81
- 28 Unforced (14 FH, 12 BH, 1 FHV, 1 OH)
- 53 Forced (28 FH, 24 BH, 1 BHV)
- Unforced Error Forcefulness Index 46.4

(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 31/38 (55%) at net, including 0/1 serve-volleying (a first serve point). He was 2/4 when forced back or retreated from net

Nadal was 14/22 (64%) at net, including 1/1 serve-volleying (a first serve point). He was 2/4 when forced back
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Match Report
This is a four part match - the first two sets, especially the first, heavily influenced by strong wind causing a low standard of play, the third set a true clash of the titans affair and for the finale, an injured Djokovic stepping on the gas as Nadal fails through passivity.

Nadal goes up 2-0 to start both of the first two sets. In the first, he proceeds to lose the next six games. In the second, he also can't consolidate the break - and goes on to lose

In these two sets, the two players play "clay-court-tennis" - long, gruelling baseline rallies that are likely to (and indeed, usually do) end with someone 'blinking' to yield the error. As the 2 and 4 scoreline indicates, Djokovic is much the better player here. A couple of key factors to this

- Nadal's low first serve percentage (relative to Djokovic), coupled with Djokovic's pressuring returns.... Nadal serves at 69% here (which would be excellent in most situations), but Djokovic is serving at 75%. Neither is doing a whole lot with the serve, but it is enough to give the server a small initiative. Djokovic is masterful in nursing this through to winning his first serve points (66%) Nadal, is not (51%). This is mostly because Djokovic's return basically neutralizes Nadal's serve, turning the point into a straight 50-50 neutral scenario (and the Serb's return usually gives him the initiative on Nadal's second serve points - which he wins the bulk of)

- the Djokovic BH. Nadal's 'offensive' pattern is to hit FH cross courts to the right handers BH until it yields errors, or coughs up weak balls the Spaniard can launch into. But Djokovic's BH handles the big Nadal FH consummately - its a 50-50 battle. Thus, Nadal's standard go-to play isn't bearing fruit, leaving him wanting for consistent ways to win points

- while both players are essentially passive, Djokovic is the one more willing to step in and attack. Also he visits the net more and volleys well once there

- The Wind - is the main cause of the playing dynamics. Both players are put off by it and both err on the side of caution due to it, turning the match into a clay court type match. You can see Djokovic's shirt (which is tight fitting) blowing a lot through the first part of the match.

The wind dies down by the third set - which is one of the best you'll see. Both players play solidly but also reasonably aggressively and neither is winning outright with the serve alone. So we get a brutal, knockdown baseline affair - the polar opposite of the waiting-for-an-error play of the first two sets. Both players play with intent of opening up the court - and succeed. Nadal takes it in the tiebreak

Early in the fourth set, Djokovic receives medical treatment for a back problem he's developed. Its certainly real. The speed of his first serve drops from about 120k to 90-100k territory for the set. To compensate, he plays more aggressively than at any point in the match - and successfully. This is one area of Djokovic's game that I particularly admire.... while usually rock solid and steady, he has an extra aggressive gear he can go into and usually when he does, it pays of. He's helped somewhat by Nadal's slow-to-react strategy though.

The Spaniard continues to play as he has. He continues to return from well behind the baseline, though even Djokovic's first serve is eminently attackable. As far as baseline dynamics go, I don't think Nadal played poorly and would credit Djokovic's greater offensive play than discredit Nadal's play.... but I do think Nadal missed a trick in not stepping up and taking the initiative against a slightly injured opponent. It should be noted though, that while not injured that I know of, Nadal is also visibly tiring at this point... but for a player of his mental toughness, I'd say he had a mental brain fart in the fourth by not switching gears.

What could Nadal have done differently in the match? His go to FH cc wasn't getting the job done, his FH inside-out was yielding errors as well as forcing them.... but the shot that did the most damage was FH down the line. Djokovic struggled against it more than anything else (he didn't 'struggle' much against anything, granted). FH dtl is comfortably 3rd out of 3 of Nadal's preferred FH patterns (the key to his offensive game), but like all his FHs, its still first rate. Maybe basing his attacks - and neutral play - off of it would have been a better strategy than the usual cc stuff, that not only wasn't working, but Nadal's previous 5 losses in the year to Djokovic would have told him wasn't likely to work

Summing up - Magnificent 3rd set.... well worth a watch if you have an hour to spare. Patchy and patient stuff mostly other than that (due to the wind). And Djokovic comfortably the superior player

 

[RS]

The first set was underlooked. Early games were so grulling the first 6 games of the set. Djokovic smashed through the last one and Nadal was not even bad i felt. Poor serving let Nadal down here so badly. The match was far closer than the scoreline made it look though....

 

[Waspsting]

The first set was underlooked. Early games were so grulling the first 6 games of the set. Djokovic smashed through the last one and Nadal was not even bad i felt. Poor serving let Nadal down here so badly. The match was far closer than the scoreline made it look though....

Been awhile since I watched this, but the stats indicate a better match than I remember

I thought first 2 sets was a bunch of crap - passive as can be long rallies, both guys doing no more than lopping the ball in court anyway they can and points ending with errors
last set, Djoko hampered and Nadal not stepping up
Great set sandwiched in between... possibly the most intense between the two - and there have been so, so many

But the numbers are a lot better than that impression

Djoko - 40 winners, 49 UEs
Nadal - 29 winners, 28 UEs

... especially considering a big bunch of those UEs would have been wind-related (not really the players fault) and rallies long

My feeling is heavy winds would favour (i.e. hamper less) the higher percentage, less error prone player - Nadal. Yet on scoreline level, he got bulldozed

Having watched and statt-ted all their previous matches in the year and the Aus '12 final that followed... I get the feeling the wind might have saved Nadal from something worse. He was regularly getting beaten down - even on clay - from back of court and his serves were getting punished. Not much scope for Djoko to do that in these conditions

Then again, Nadal won the set played in normal conditions. And how much worse can you get from 2-6, 4-6, getting broken 11 times and wining just 47.5% of your service points?

 

[RS]

Been awhile since I watched this, but the stats indicate a better match than I remember

I thought first 2 sets was a bunch of crap - passive as can be long rallies, both guys doing no more than lopping the ball in court anyway they can and points ending with errors
last set, Djoko hampered and Nadal not stepping up
Great set sandwiched in between... possibly the most intense between the two - and there have been so, so many

But the numbers are a lot better than that impression

Djoko - 40 winners, 49 UEs
Nadal - 29 winners, 28 UEs

... especially considering a big bunch of those UEs would have been wind-related (not really the players fault) and rallies long

My feeling is heavy winds would favour (i.e. hamper less) the higher percentage, less error prone player - Nadal. Yet on scoreline level, he got bulldozed

Having watched and statt-ted all their previous matches in the year and the Aus '12 final that followed... I get the feeling the wind might have saved Nadal from something worse. He was regularly getting beaten down - even on clay - from back of court and his serves were getting punished. Not much scope for Djoko to do that in these conditions

Then again, Nadal won the set played in normal conditions. And how much worse can you get from 2-6, 4-6, getting broken 11 times and wining just 47.5% of your service points?

I thought the 2nd was the worst set and Djokovic level fell from the first. I thought the first was action packed. Djokovic would have won by a even wider score if he served here the way he served against Roger in the SF. Agree with the rest.

Djokovic serving not too good as well he was serving at 99mph in the last set at one point and still sticked Nadal. Think Nadal of 2010/2013 at the USO does better here tbh.

 

[7thKingSlam]

Greatest set of all time came kinda out of nowhere with Nadal playing otherwise pretty poorly and both looking banged up at this point in the season. I feel like I faintly remember both of them playing through pain/injuries but that’s normal at the end of the USO.

If we were to rank the 3 USO matches between the two I’d probably go 2010>2011>2013? Kinda tough because 2010 was cleaner and maybe more consistently high level but 2011 had higher peaks. I’m not high on 2013 generally though.

 

[Waspsting]

Greatest set of all time came kinda out of nowhere with Nadal playing otherwise pretty poorly and both looking banged up at this point in the season. I feel like I faintly remember both of them playing through pain/injuries but that’s normal at the end of the USO.

If we were to rank the 3 USO matches between the two I’d probably go 2010>2011>2013? Kinda tough because 2010 was cleaner and maybe more consistently high level but 2011 had higher peaks. I’m not high on 2013 generally though.

I found 2010 to be the most entertaining, but its not an even contest. You can watch 20 minutes of action at any stage, and get sense Nadal is better player
In '11, you have the wind turning things sideways. 1 great set can only turn a 4 set match around so mcuh

I feel similarly to you about 2013, but will add its probably fundamentally better/sounder than 2010. I say 'probably' because I haven't watched recently and Djokovic was always a fundmantally sound/strong player, including 2010

When fundmanetals (movement, reactions, shot-tolerance, consistency) are high end and two players are well matched in them, you're more likely to get a dull match (example, Murray-Djokovic) than when one player is better than other in them (where more likely to see one player collar action and attack)

So not necessarily that 2010 players are better than 2013, but more likely to put together a fun match

To illustrate, if you have to choose between watching Nalbandian vs Tsonga or Djokovic vs Murray, what do you choose and why?

Nalby vs Tsonga will probably be a better watch
Still, you probably know that either Djoko or Murray would beat either Nably and Tsonga handily

Going on results leading in and leading away from event, 2013 is as clash of the titans as it gets - Nadal winning everything leading into US Open, Djoko everything after it - and the big contest right at center of thigns

 

[Bastion]

Great goat level match by both.

 

[7thKingSlam]

I found 2010 to be the most entertaining, but its not an even contest. You can watch 20 minutes of action at any stage, and get sense Nadal is better player
In '11, you have the wind turning things sideways. 1 great set can only turn a 4 set match around so mcuh

Yeah, 2013 was the most even contest of the 3. 2010 was close on paper but you always kinda knew Nadal had an extra gear and more weapons at that stage. Kinda reminded me of one of those Federer “cruising” performances at times.

I feel similarly to you about 2013, but will add its probably fundamentally better/sounder than 2010. I say 'probably' because I haven't watched recently and Djokovic was always a fundmantally sound/strong player, including 2010

Really? I always thought 2013 was a bit of an unforced error fest in Djokovic’s end. Sets 1 and 4 were a slaughter while 2 and 3 were competitive though. I think what stood out to me was that Djokovic played a pretty passive, lockdown game plan at times but was still making a lot of errors.

When fundmanetals (movement, reactions, shot-tolerance, consistency) are high end and two players are well matched in them, you're more likely to get a dull match (example, Murray-Djokovic) than when one player is better than other in them (where more likely to see one player collar action and attack)

To illustrate, if you have to choose between watching Nalbandian vs Tsonga or Djokovic vs Murray, what do you choose and why?

Nalby vs Tsonga will probably be a better watch
Still, you probably know that either Djoko or Murray would beat either Nably and Tsonga handily

Yeah for sure, play styles make everything. When you have two elite athletes they’re just too scared to take the net because of the potential for a passing shot any time, too scared to attack or step in because the counterattack potential is always there. Nadal was playing quite aggressive on hard courts in 2013 but I felt like he let himself go passive in that US Open final because he knew Djoko would hit himself out of it.