Match Stats/Report - Lendl vs Jaite, French Open quarter-final, 1985

[Waspsting]

Ivan Lendl beat Martin Jaite 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 in the French Open quarter-final, 1985 on clay

Lendl, the defending champion, would go onto lose in the final to Mats Wilander. Jaite was unseeded

Lendl won 106 points, Jaite 88

Serve Stats
Lendl...
- 1st serve percentage (40/93) 43%
- 1st serve points won (32/40) 80%
- 2nd serve points won (24/53) 45%
- Aces 6
- Double Faults 2
- Unreturned Serve Percentage (21/93) 23%

Jaite...
- 1st serve percentage (59/101) 58%
- 1st serve points won (33/59) 56%
- 2nd serve points won (18/42) 43%
- Aces 3 (1 not clean - a 'whiff')
- Double Faults 1
- Unreturned Serve Percentage (13/101) 13%

Serve Patterns
Lendl served...
- to FH 20%
- to BH 74%
- to Body 7%

Jaite served...
- to FH 66%
- to BH 28%
- to Body 6%

Return Stats
Lendl made...
- 87 (64 FH, 23 BH), including 1 runaround FH & 1 return-approach
- 10 Errors, comprising...
- 7 Unforced (6 FH, 1 BH)
- 3 Forced (3 BH)
- Return Rate (87/100) 87%

Jaite made...
- 70 (28 FH, 42 BH), including 10 runaround FHs
- 15 Errors, comprising...
- 11 Unforced (2 FH, 9 BH), including 1 runaround FH
- 4 Forced (1 FH, 3 BH)
- Return Rate (70/91) 77%

Break Points
Lendl 7/14 (9 games)
Jaite 3/10 (6 games)

Winners (including returns, excluding serves)
Lendl 26 (9 FH, 4 BH, 8 FHV, 2 BHV, 1 BH1/2V, 2 OH)
Jaite 29 (7 FH, 6 BH, 9 FHV, 1 FH1/2V, 2 BHV, 4 OH)

Lendl's FHs - 2 cc (1 pass), 1 dtl pass, 2 inside-out (1 at net), 1 inside-in, 2 lobs, 1 down-the-middle/cc pass at net (that hits opponent)
- BHs - 3 dtl (2 passes), 1 drop shot/cc (finely played) at net

- 1 from serve-volley point, a first volley BHV
- 2 other FHVs were non-net, swinging shots (1 inside-out, 1 inside-in) & 1 OH was on the bounce

Jaite's FHs - 1 cc pass, 1 dtl, 3 inside-out, 1 inside-out/dtl (not clean), 1 net chord dribbler
- BHs - 6 dtl (2 passes)

- 2 from serve-volley points - both first volley FHVs
- 1 other OH was on the bounce from the baseline

Errors (excluding serves and returns)
Lendl 44
- 26 Unforced (14 FH, 8 BH, 4 OH)... with 1 OH on bounce from no-man's land (close to the baseline)
- 18 Forced (6 FH, 9 BH, 1 FHV, 2 BHV)... with 1 FH running-down-drop-shot at net
- Unforced Error Forcefulness Index 48.8

Jaite 58
- 33 Unforced (17 FH, 11 BH, 1 FHV, 3 BHV, 1 Over-Shoulder)
- 25 Forced (8 FH, 11 BH, 5 BHV, 1 BHOH)... with 1 BH running-down-drop-shot (non-net) & 1 BH can reasonably be called a Back-to-Net shot
- 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 are keyed on 4 categories - 20 defensive, 40 neutral, 50 attacking and 60 winner attempt)

Net Points & Serve-Volley
Lendl was...
- 27/42 (64%) at net, including...
- 1/1 serve-volleying, a 1st serve
---
- 0/1 return-approaching
- 0/3 forced back

Jaite was...
- 32/55 (58%) at net, including...
- 6/9 (67%) serve-volleying, all 1st serves
---
- 1/4 (25%) forced back

Match Report
Bright, attacking match, with both players partaking in the fun. Lendl’s power is matched by Jaite’s shot-making and both players link up their favoured attacking style to net play. With attacking gusto and success near equal, Lendl has a few advantages that push him fairly comfortably over -
- his serve does some damage, Jaite’s very little
- he’s very stingy with the routine errors, Jaite’s not bad but not ‘very stingy’
- he also defends and passes better

For Lendl, 26 winners, 26 UEs (and forcing 25 errors)
For Jaite 29 winners, 33 UEs (and forcing 18 errors)

Winners/UE differential - Lendl 0, Jaite -4
Aggressively ended points/UE differential - Lendl +25, Jaite +14

Both players taking bull by horns. Far cry from oft seen ‘80s clay matches of endless passive, who-blinks-first ground exchanges

Two combine for 97 net points (Lendl 42, Jaite 55) in the 194 point match. Sans aces and double faults, that’s about 97/182 points of match with someone at net (‘about’ because occasionally both players are at net for same point)

Those playing stats are good for both players, Lendl a little better

Throw in his leading unreturneds 23% to 13% (the serve factor) and its good for a comfy win
The consistency factor is embedded within the given stats - aggressive UEs are virtual wash at Lendl 19, Jaite 18, but Lendl with 7-15 advantage on the neutral stuff)

Lendl wins 55% of points, serving 48% of them
Break points - Lendl 7/14 (9 games), Jaite 3/10 (6 games)
Fairly comfortable

Jaite’s been marked with an Over-Shoulder UE. How exactly does one make an Over-Shoulder with back-to-net UE? He’s at net and defensively lobbed back to baseline, and Lendl remains on the baseline himself. Its not difficult to run past the ball and play a normal groundstroke, but Jaite stays behind the ball to last instant and throws up the over-shoulder shot. Bad judgement and shot choice
Novak Djokovic had a tweener UE for similar reason in the ‘07 Miami final

Lendl’s defensive lobbing is one of the highlights of the match. From hopeless position of running and sliding to his BH against wide, well struck shot, as he reaches ball, it looks as likely as not that he’ll knock it off to the side. He manages to throw up as good as can be hoped for defensive lobs several times instead - Jaite smashes well, including on bounce from baseline - but Lendl pinches good few points he has no business winning with the shot

Ironically, he’s poor on the smash and has 4 UEs on the shot (including 1 on bounce from nearer baseline than service line)

Serve & Return
Action doesn’t look like its serve shot dependent. Both players attack regularly on all points (seemingly), but stats tell a different story, with Lendl’s first serve points towering above all others

First serve points won - Lendl 80%, Jaite 56%
Second serve points won - Lendl 45%, Jaite 43%
… to go with in counts of Lendl 43%, Jaite 58%

That deceptively looks like one of Lendl’s all in serve showings. In fact, he’s actually quite contained and sends down merely healthy, authoritative first serves (as opposed to full blast, all in ones) throughout match. His in count is 49% after 2 sets but falls to 33% in the last

That’s bad in count, given how he serves. Even the 49% for 2 sets is below par. He’d look for 43% for the match full blasting serves
Still, his way still leads to Rome (or Paris). 80% of those points won - he’s done everything he’d want done with the first serve

Jaite with average serve, with normal difference across two serves
He serves 66% to Lendl’s FH, 28% to BH
Why? He knows. Doesn’t have too much choice with his second serve. Lendl parks himself in position to play FH return for those and it’d take exceptional placement to still get serve to BH (not that Jaite tries), but he serves most first serves to Lendl’s FH too. Both courts, rarely wide

Lendl has an easy FH swing on the return. Always firm, sometimes, pointedly powerful against second serves. Not overdone - he doesn’t look for clean winners and is choosy about when to pound the second return

Unreturend serves - Lendl 23%, Jaite 13%. broken down from returners point of view -
- Aced - Lendl 3, Jaite 6
- Return FE - Lendl 3, Jaite 4
- Return UE - Lendl 7, Jaite 11

Most of Jaite’s first serves are unforceful, about 50% of Lendl’s are, so far more room for Lendl to have return UEs. Jaite’s 11 is part of his lower consistency. Just a higher natural blink rate on routine return (also, in play - more on that later)

All 3 of Lendl’s FEs are due to serve-volleying, so 0 against baseline standing Jaite. Jaite does send down infrequent good serve, but Lendl makes all of those. Emphasis on ‘infrequent’ - and Lendl well back to return
That’s a good, low yield of return FEs for Jaite too. He returns normally, not softly too. Lendl’s stayed on the ball to win 80% such points

Gist - Lendl healthy strength serve, Jaite average - and Lendl with low in count. Upto now, possibly even contest
Lendl returning like clockwork, Jaite with a few more routine misses. Advantage slipping to Lendl
Lendl swinging easily on return (aided by Jaite’s odd choice to serve so much to FH), and pounding second returns when he chooses to. Advantage Lendl
Jaite does return pretty well though in making not-easy and difficult returns. But his serve isn’t strong enough test Lendl in the same way

Play - Baseline & Net
Action is all court, FH leaning, with attacking outlook from both players
‘Attacking outlook’ isn’t a given for Lendl, especially on clay. And Jaite’s game if anything, does invite more passive way about going about business

Jaite’s not a tall man and is on his toes to get on top of BHs. Looks uncomfy, and force of shot suffers when balls reaches shoulder length
Would think such situation would encourage Lendl to topspin high BHs and just look to breakdown that side
He doesn’t. He drives or top spins virtually all BHs (that is, minimal slicing or chipping), more often driving. And it doesn’t take long for him to get to looking to overpower with the FH

Lendl looks to overpower and usually come in to finish. While playing at least sturdy stock game
Jaite rallies along with him normally, more error prone. He takes on dtl point finishers and either sneakily comes in or does so when having Lendl on the move

In baseline rallies -
- Winners - Lendl 6 (3 FH, 1 BH, 2 FHV), Jaite 11 (6 FH, 4 BH, 1 OH)
- Errors forced - Lendl 5, Jaite 2
- (Aggressively ended points - Lendl 11, Jaite 13)
- UEs - Lendl 23 (14 FH, 8 BH, 1 OH), Jaite 28 (17 FH, 11 BH)

Total points - Lendl 39, Jaite 36

 

[Waspsting]

To start, neutral UEs read Lendl 6, Jaite 14 (both players have a defensive UE too)
That’s just Lendl being that much more secure. He’s better because he’s a wall, Jaite isn’t bad or sloppy

Both first serve and second returning sometimes moderately giving Lendl leg up to start rally. He’s not looking for clean FH return winners, but does smack the ball on average and occasionally, fully rips it

Attacking baseline UEs - Lendl 12, Jaite 11. Virtually same. On clay in this period, attacking shots are more about setting up the next shot than they are about directly forcing errors. Both players defending well and not being forced into too many errors (somewhat offset by UEs being relatively difficult, with moderate power or width to cope with). Lendl has the extra shot to attack with second return. Jaite doesn’t return second serves aggressively - nor demonstrate an ability too

Taking into account difference in second returning, second serve points won (Lendl 45%, Jaite 43%) is surprisingly well done by Jaite, especially, given the neutral UE counts. He’s played very well to get into rallies and outplay Lendl in them as often as not

Jaite with 10-4 lead winners. Lendl sticks to unpassive, solid BH hitting, Jaite takes on dtl winners. Lendl has just the 1 BH winner, Jaite 4 (all 5 shots are dtl)

Lendl occasionally bludgeons FHs to ending point (more often, he takes net), Jaite goes for wider winners here too. 4/6 winners are inside-out based, while Lendl has just 3 winners total
How aggressive Lendl is comes through in for him, very unusual 2 swinging non-net volley winners. They’re not the only ones he plays either. If he blasts out a weak ball, he’s ready to take it early on the full to quickly end things

There isn’t a clean distinction between baseline and net play. 2 go hand in hand, so pure baseline figures give just partial picture

Similar number of approaches, net thirst and success
Rallying to net, Lendl’s 26/40 at , Jaite’s 26/46
(Jaite’s also 6/9 serve-volleying, while Lendl’s 1/1 and loses sole return-approach of match)

On the ‘volley’ -
Lendl has 11 winners, 3 UEs, 3 FEs
Jaite has 15 winners, 4 UEs, 6 FEs

On the pass -
Lendl has 7 winners (5 FH, 2 BH), 13 FEs (4 FH, 9 BH)
Jaite has 3 winners (1 FH, 2 BH), 14 FEs (4 FH, 10 BH)

Lendl again a little better, mainly due to passing better
Of quality, Jaite’s volleys are better (punch and placement), though Lendl’s not bad. He does a miss the odd one, which Lendl doesn’t

Jaite’s 4 UEs are all volleys, Lendl’s 3 UEs are all OHs
So Lendl more solid on the volley, but that’s poor smashing from him

The volley FEs (Lendl drawing 6, Jaite 3) and pass winners (Lendl 7-3 advantage), getting to Lendl’s better passing. It has to be good, because he doesn’t get good looks, hence, normal about 2 pass FEs for every pass winner
Better than Jaite’s about 5 FEs for a pass winner. He doesn’t get good looks either

Not much difference in looks on the pass, so Lendl being more success is just him passing that much better

A highlight is Lendl’s defensive lobbing, as mentioned earlier. Saves a few hopeless points
Jaite’s no slouch on the lob either
Forced back net points - Lendl 0/3, Jaite 1/4

Jaite perfectly dispatches smash on bounce from baseline to win the only forced back net point. Lendl misses similar shot from further up the court. Bounce of full, he has a bad day smashing. 2 OH winners (1 on bounce), 4 UEs (1 on bounce from near baseline)

Both players with delightful 1/2volley winners - Lendl’s touch, angled drop BH1/2V is especially good, Jaite’s is off the other wing

In few nutshell, both players looking for net, both players volleying well. Jaite misses odd one (Lendl virtually nothing), but his volleys are better of quality
Lendl the stronger passer. It has to be very good passing to win points against well constructed approaches and good volleys. Jaite’s not bad, Lendl is particularly good

To go with baseline starting point. Lendl more powerful, Jaite the better shot-maker, both looking to be aggressive. If Lendl’s a little better, its for backbone of being more consistent. As with volley, he misses very little, Jaite misses a few (about twice as much) - credit Lendl’s solidity, not discredit Jaite

All of it a good, fun tennis

Match Progression
Jaite’s more attractive and aggressive player to start match and through first set. Goes dtl for winners off both wings, comes in off the third ball (Lendl’s well back return position makes it viable), serve-volleys a little. He does miss the odd routine groundie and return

Lendl serves with moderate power, but still has 15/31 first serves in. Occasionally wallops FH second return (he positions himself to take them on FH, though Jaite’s content with that). Sneakily takes net some himself after moderate wide shot. Drives and top spins BHs, with virtually no slices or chips. Hits some fine running passes

And its near even set. Only break ends it and that lasts 12 games
Prior to that, both players save 1 break point in 10-point game

Bright start. Lendl ends a long rally with BH dtl winner second point of match; turns out to be his only baseline rally BH winner of the match
Jaite responds with a FH inside-out winner and a big, winning runaround FH return
Lendl with a running FH cc pass winner, after that but misses another BH dtl winner attempt and smash next 2 points to go down break point. Jaite’s BH blinks up UE on it and game ends when he misses BHV after a nice, FH dtl set up

Jaite’s faces break point at 3-2. Lendl misses strong FH cc on it and Jaite goes on to hold with a serve-volley

Its an excellent 12 point game that ends the set. Jaite’s at net on 8 of them, Lendl 3. Some great passes from Lendl
He makes a mess of his first break/set point, trying to OH a winner on bounce from closer to baseline than service line after being forced back from net
In time, he manages to covert his 4th, wrapping up with 2 fine passes (FH lob winner and a low chipped BH against a well crafted FH dtl approach that draws error)

Lendl starts controlling result in second set. Takes to coming in more, often from third ball FH inside-out. Jaite continues in same vein as earlier

Lendl breaks for 2-0. From 40-15, Jaite misses consecutive attacking dtl shots (1 of each wing) to get to deuce
He’s at net next 4 points, but Lendl scores with passes on 3 of them (FH dtl, striking Jaite with an at net FH pass and a lovely BH lob that forces BHOH error). Lendl apologizes for striking Jaite

After Lendl consolidates for 3-0, remaining 5 games all have break points in them
Jaite survives a 16 point game
Lendl holds an 8 point one, ending with Jaite misjudging a defensive lobbing and getting into a tangle trying to retrieve it
Big FH returns form Lendl sees him break for 5-1
Jaite breaks right back - beautiful drop FH1/2V winner from him in the game and he pinches another net point
And Lendl makes it 3 breaks in a row to close out set. He strikes an even defter BH1/2V winner than Jaite’s shot previous game, and wraps up with a winning FH inside-in. Earlier in game, Jaite misses putaway FHV

Similar action in third set. Lendl more actively seeks net. 19/42 approaches are in the set, but his in count drops to 12/36

He again breaks for 2-0 in all second serve, 6 point game. With all the serves directed to Lendl’s FH
Game after, Jaite opens with FHV winner against powerful shot and BHV winner and reaches 15-40. Strong first serve saves first break point, but Jaite misses 2 routine second returns after that, before Lendl beats him down with FHs to hold

Again, there are 3 breaks in a row, leaving set on serve
Attacking ground UEs and a double fault get Lendl into trouble, and while he saves first break point with uncharacteristic, swinging third ball FHV winner from no-man’s land, he misses a smash right after to raise another break point. He’s forced into a cramped volley error on it. 3-2 Lendl, but back on serve

Lendl with couple big FH combos to break back
And another bright break after, Jaite finishing with FH inside-out winner, after forcing Lendl back from net

Lendl breaks to love to end the match, a pretty poor game from Jaite, who has 3 UEs in the game (2 neutral BHs and a routine BHV)

Summing up, good, fun match. Lendl commandingly aggressive, with bruising FHs, no passivity of the BH, net play, some strong serves and returns. He looks to overpower opponent and take net to finish. For all that, he remains stingy with the errors on the return and off the ground, and is able to find some winning passes against strong net play. His defensive lobbing is superb

Jaite is just as aggressive, though in different way. Not as powerful as Lendl, but he indulges shot-making more and allies wide shots with net play

It’s a good showing as well as attractive one, but he lacks a few things that the winner has - his serve isn’t potent, a few ground and return errors (he’s not bad, but suffers next to Lendl’s miserliness in same areas), not as strong on the pass

Stats for the final between Lendl and Mats Wilander - Match Stats/Report - Wilander vs Lendl, French Open final, 1985 | Talk Tennis