2011: Djokovic defeated Nadal – 6-2, 6-4, 6-7, 6-1 !
Do you want to know the real reason why the tables got reversed? I had said earlier also that winning points on his own service can be a potential cause of concern for Nadal and that’s what exactly happened yesterday: Look for yourself at Nadal and Djokovic match stats in 2010 & 2011 Finals:
Nadal | US Open 2010 | US Open 2011 |
1st Serve % | 67% | 68% |
Unforced Errors | 31 | 37 |
Winning % on 1st Serve | 73% | 52% |
Winning % on 2nd Serve | 57% | 42% |
Winners | 49 | 32 |
Receiving Points Won | 42% | 42% |
Break Point Conversions | 6 of 26 = 23 % | 6 of 14 = 43 % |
Net Approaches | 80% | 76% |
Djokovic | US Open 2010 | US Open 2011 |
1st Serve % | 66% | 66% |
Unforced Errors | 47 | 51 |
Winning % on 1st Serve | 64% | 65% |
Winning % on 2nd Serve | 46% | 44% |
Winners | 45 | 55 |
Receiving Points Won | 32% | 51% |
Break Point Conversions | 3 of 4 = 75% | 11 of 26 =42 % |
Net Approaches | 62% | 66% |
Nadal on the other hand won only 52% of his first serve points (73% in 2010) and winners also went down by 17-clearly shows the increased court coverage capability of Djokovic.
How much Djokovic has improved is clear from the above table: His receiving points have gone up to 51% and he had 26 break point chances as compared to only 4 last year.
After seeing the above comparison- no doubt Djokovic was the better player yesterday and Nadal has lots to improve in the coming days. All in all what a thrilling match we witnessed yesterday and soon I will be publishing a list of articles comparing both these players in 2010 and 2011 and what can be learnt from them. If you need inspiration and feel that your goals are too tough to accomplish- join my site and you will soon learn that nothing is impossible!
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