Novak Djokovic- US Open 2010 and 2011- A Complete Turnaround!



Djokovic's brilliant performance yesterday was a reflection of how much a person can achieve in just one year's time frame. His opponent could just manage to take 2 games from him and he marched into the third round deservedly like the best player of the year.

Last year at the same time, he was considered to be the third favorite with ~10% chance to reach the Finals and this year he is the clear favorite to win the US Open.  Amazed by the transformation!

So let’s take a look at his stats and see if the mystery is solved?
US Open Final 2010
Australian Open Final 2011
Wimbledon Final 2011
US Open 2011 II Round
  1st Serve %
66%
67%
73%
66%
  Aces
5
6
7
5
  Double Faults
4
0
1
0
  Unforced Errors
47
33
12
15
  Winning % on 1st Serve
64%
70%
72%
68%
  Winning % on 2nd Serve
46%
60%
54%
63%
  Winners
45
26
27
31
  Receiving Points Won
32%
51%
38%
67%
  Break Point Conversions
75%
39%
83%
50%
  Net Approaches
62%
64%
73%
78%
  Fastest Serve Speed
125
129
126
126
  Average 1st Serve Speed
117
119
117
111
  Average 2nd Serve Speed
94
98
93
91


Clearly the stats above tell us the picture of how this one player single handedly has changed the landscape of tennis. If one looks at the last 3 finals and yesterday's performance, one can see the change in his serve %  against US Open 2010 (which he lost to Nadal). His serve points won (by almost 15%) have also improved considerably along with his receiving points won showing how much he has improved his shots. And the most important- His unforced errors  have gone down  considerably (by 30-35)showing his accuracy on the court.

Just to wonder, at the start of Jan 2011, nobody could even think that Djokovic will storm into the world of tennis uprooting the dominance of the two greatest players in the history of tennis! Calls for pure respect and admiration for Novak Djokovic-Hats off to him!

Also to find out more on this: don't forget to read Where There Is Djokovic. There Is A Way (My article describing how he has managed to achieve this transformation)

( PS- i will be at US Open for the coming weekend so my next post will be on Thursday. Till then, don't forget to join my Facebook Page and Twitter to catch the latest updates, pictures & videos of your favorite players. Stay Tuned!)

If you have any questions- You can mail me at apekshaha@gmail.com

Nadal's Service- A Potential Area Of Concern (US Open Round 1 Update)

Roger Federer- Signs of Improvement Over US Open 2010 (Second Round Update)


In continuation of my analysis yesterday on Nadal and how his service can be a cause of concern for the defending champion, let’s carry that forward to Roger Federer - 5 times US Open Champion and his victory today! If you analyze his performance last year at US Open, you will realize that major reason of failure was his second serve and points won.

Here are some interesting stats for the fans:

Federer
US Open 2010 Overall
US Open 2010 2nd Round
US Open 2011 (2nd Round
1st Serve %
60%
54%
72%
Aces
14
15
6
Double Faults
2
0
Unforced Errors
33
18
2
Winning % on 1st Serve
81%
80%
88%
Winning % on 2nd   Serve
56%
65%
82%
Winners
39
29
31
Receiving Points Won
41%
44%
44%
Break Point Conversions
53%
50%
45%
Net Approaches
62%
68%
67%
Fastest Serve Speed
131
132
12
Average 1st Serve Speed
118
117
109
Average 2nd Serve Speed
97
96
96
  
In 2010, not only his first serve % was poor, but also his points won on second serve were even more pathetic ( just like the first round of US Open on Monday). If we look at his performance today, there is a considerable improvement on his 1st serve % and winning on 2nd serve % as compared to overall % and second round of US Open 2010. And this improvement is almost 12-18% points on 1st serve % and 17-26% in winning on 2nd serve. This clearly shows that the if Roger Federer has to win this time, he will have to keep a strong hold on his second serve.

People say stats don’t matter, but I still think that they can be the difference between winning and losing.  If only he can maintain this performance throughout US Open, he can go on to win his 17th GS Title of his career! Key would be his service game and in particular second serve .Probably the champion knows that himself too and hence the mesmerizing performance today!

PS- I will be posting similar analysis on Nadal, Djokovic and Murray throughout US Open. Also I will be at US Open this year from coming Saturday.  I will post latest updates and live pictures on my Facebook Page and Twitter. So don't forget to catch the action of your favorite players. Stay tuned!

If you have any questions- You can mail me at apekshaha@gmail.com


Also: New: Novak Djokovic- US Open 2010 and 2011- A Complete Turnaround! (Second Round Update)
Nadal's Service- A Potential Area Of Concern (US Open Round 1 Update)
Will Roger Federer Bounce Back And The Myth of Age 30?

Nadal's Service- A Potential Area Of Concern (US Open Round 1 Update)




Defending Champion Rafael Nadal advanced to second round of US Open in straight sets  victory over Andrey Golubev (6-3, 7-6, 7-5) yesterday.  It was a hard fought victory for the 10 time GS champion. Everyone was left wondering to the cause of it; so I thought let’s look at 2010 victory and see what changed. If we remember, one of the most important reasons for Nadal was his service (broken only 5 times last year here) due to which he was able to complete his career slam last year at US Open:

Here is an interesting stat for all to see:


 Rafael Nadal
Overall 2010 US Open
2010 US Open  Ist Round
2011 US Open Ist Roun
1st Serve %
64%
69/103 = 67%
61/94 = 65
Aces
6
7
6
Double Faults
2
3
4
Unforced Errors
23
29
16
Winning % on 1st       Serve
84%
54/69 = 78%
40/61 = 66%
Winning % on 2nd Serve
67%
24/34 = 71%
16/33 = 48%
Winners
27
30
18
Receiving Points Won
40%
43/121 = 36%
63/122 = 52%
Break Point Conversions
42%
2/10 = 20%
8/22 = 36%
Net Approaches
70%
15/19 = 79%
8/13 = 62
Fastest Serve Speed
132
131 MPH
133 MPH
Average 1st Serve Speed
118
117 MPH
115 MPH
Average 2nd Serve Speed
88
89 MPH
87 MPH


If you look at the highlighted column, you will realize that his serve has really gone (almost 18%) down. This is one of the reasons why he lost in Rogers Cup and Cincy too. Even the number of his winners has gone down. And yesterday's match was no different. His first and second serve point has considerably gone down and if Nadal has to leave his mark this year, this is one area he will have to work upon- otherwise it will be very difficult for him against players like Murray and Djokovic (best returners in the game) to go and defend his title!

(PS- I will be posting similar interesting stats and news about Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic & Andy Murray further in the day and throughout the tournament for the top 4. Also I will be at US Open this year from coming Saturday. So don’t miss to catch the latest pictures of your favorite player. Stay tuned and please don't forget to join my Facebook Page, Twitter or Site to catch all these interesting updates)

If you have any questions- You can mail me at apekshaha@gmail.com


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