40-0 against Rafael Nadal? Is not (yet) a reason to be happy
Rafael Nadal is known as the man who plays every point like the last. The statistics friends of the ATP have now selected specific numbers for this.
by Florian Goosmann
last edit:
Aug 10, 2019, 12:57 pm

Just drop a point? Rafael Nadal is very rare. The Manacor bull plays strictly according to the principle that every tennis player should use: play one point at a time - and never give up.
The ATP has now shown that this is not just an impression, but can also be proven by numbers.
The return games of 2019 were examined - specifically those in which the server was already 40: 0 ahead. The question: Which top 50 player has most often managed to convert such a deficit into a game win?
Answer: Rafael Nadal! In 102 return games, in which a server against Nadal was 40-0 in the front, the Spaniard managed to break five times. A strong percentage rate of 4.9. For comparison: the average in the top 50 was 1.38 percent (84 breaks in 6,072 attempts).
Thiem, Zverev and Struff also in the front
With David Goffin and Laslo Djere, only two players have 4 successful breaks after 40: 0 for the server. Kyle Edmund, Cristian Garin, Dominic Thiem , Kei Nishikori, Alexander Zverev and Jan-Lennard Struff made it three times - as did Taylor Fritz, who was confronted 172 times with a 40-0 lead by his opponent.
Eight players in the top 50, however, have not managed to break after a 40-0 win for the server this season.