Rafael Nadal - not only dominant on sand
The fact that Rafael Nadal has been dominating sand for years is an open secret. But in 2019 the Spaniard was able to convince on other surfaces.
by Nikolaus Fink
last edit: Dec 03, 2019, 09:54 am
The year 2019 started anything but good for Rafael Nadal . Although the 33-year-old reached the final at the Australian Open, after that the Spaniard fell into a mental hole and could not really recover until the ATP 500 tournament in Barcelona. But then Nadal turned on really well, including the titles in Paris and New York and finished the year as number one in the world.
Not surprisingly, according to ATP statistics , Nadal was the best player of the season on three out of four rubbers. The Spaniard is on sand with a win rate of 87.5 percent ahead of Novak Djokovic (83.3%) and Roger Federer (81.8%). Behind them are Dominic Thiem (76.7%) and Benoit Paire and Stefanos Tsitsipas (both 75%).
Also on hard court, the 33-year-old leads the list. Nadal won 91.4 percent of his matches, with Roger Federer (82.5 percent) and Novak Djokovic (81.4 percent) second and third respectively. Behind them are Kevin Anderson (80%), who only played ten games on Hardcourt, and Daniil Medvedev (78%).
Djokovic on lawn number one
In addition, Nadal is number one on indoor courts, which are managed by the ATP as a separate surface. The Mallorcan lost in the hall only one match (against Alexander Zverev in the ATP Finals) and thus comes up with a win rate of 91.7 percent. This is followed by Novak Djokovic (81.8%), Alex de Minaur (81.3%), Roger Federer (80%) and Andrey Rublev (78.9%).
Only on turf Nadal is not the industry leader. Here, the world number one rider ex aequo with John Isner "only" in fourth place (83.3%). The list is headed by Wimbledon winner Novak Djokovic (100%), followed by Roger Federer (91.7%). Third is Stuttgart champion Matteo Berrettini (85.7%).
Due to its dominance on 75 per cent of the undergrounds, it is hardly surprising that Rafael Nadal is also in the top position overall. Overall, the 19-time Grand Slam winner this year won 89.2 percent of his games. The podium is completed by Roger Federer (84.1%) and Novak Djokovic (83.8%). In fourth and fifth lie Daniil Medvedev (73.8%) and Dominic Thiem (72.1%).