You are serving, down break point.

The initial element of a successful hold strategy is to make your first serve. You would think this would come naturally for the Top 20 players in the Emirates ATP Rankings – an innate ability to elevate their games in moments of crisis.

An Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers analysis of 13,295 break points against Top 20 players in both the 2015 and 2016 seasons actually showed just the opposite, with this elite group struggling like players at all levels of the game to find new heights when they need them the most.

Only four of the Top 20 in 2016 made more first serves down break point than they did on average during the season, which was even fewer than the seven who did in 2015. The standout this season was Rafael Nadal, who not only boasted the highest overall first-serve percentage of the Top 20 at 70 per cent, but he also doubled down to raise it to all the way to 79 per cent when facing break point.

First serves on break points matter greatly. Nadal has saved substantially more break points behind his first serve than his second serve during the past two seasons.

2016 Nadal Break Points Saved
First Serve = 69 per cent (162/236)
Second Serve = 52 per cent (32/61)

2015 Nadal Break Points Saved
First Serve = 68 per cent (202/298)
Second Serve = 49 per cent (62/127)

The four Top 20 players in 2016 who made a higher percentage of first serves on break point than their season average:

Nadal and Kei Nishikori were the only two players to be ranked in the Top 20 in the 2015 and 2016 seasons and also make more first serves down break point than their season average. This season, Roberto Bautista Agut and Richard Gasquet both improved one percentage point in their first-serve average on break point.

The seven Top 20 players in the 2015 season to elevate their first-serve performance down break point:

David Goffin and Stan Wawrinka were the standout performers in 2015, with Goffin posting an impressive eight percentage point jump, from 55 per cent to 63 per cent. Nadal and Kevin Anderson bumped up two percentage points, while Novak Djokovic, Nishikori and Feliciano Lopez all improved one percentage point.

Overall in 2016, the Top 20 averaged making 62 per cent of their first serves, but just 61 percent when down break point. The 2015 season also saw a similar one per cent drop, from 61 per cent to 60 per cent. In both 2015 and 2016, the Top 20 made more first serves facing break point in the deuce court than in the ad court.

2016 Season
Deuce Court: 64 per cent
Ad Court: 60 per cent

2015 Season
Deuce Court: 61 per cent
Ad Court: 59 per cent

This kind of analysis helps players from Melbourne to Moscow to Madrid understand the hidden metrics that underpin the most important moments in a match.

Juan Martin del Potro’s comeback season got even better earlier this week.

The Argentine was named the Sportsman of the Year in Argentina on Tuesday night during a ceremony at the Premios Olimpia in Buenos Aires. It’s the second time del Potro has received the Golden Olimpia. He also received the honour in 2009, the year he won two ATP World Tour titles – Auckland and Washington – and the US Open, his first and to date only Grand Slam title.

This season, the 6’6” right-hander hoisted another ATP World Tour trophy, his first in nearly three years after wrist injuries caused him to miss most of the 2014 and 2015 seasons. Del Potro beat American Jack Sock to win the If Stockholm Open in October.

The Tandil native had many other reasons to celebrate this year as well. At the Rio Olympics, he beat then-World No. 1 Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal en route to a silver medal. Del Potro also made the quarter-finals of the US Open and helped Argentina win its first Davis Cup title.

All of his achievements led his fellow players to vote him Comeback Player of the Year in the ATP World Tour Awards presented by Moët & Chandon. Del Potro also received the ATP award in 2011.

The ability to quickly adjust to different surfaces and conditions is a necessity on the 64-tournament circuit. Here’s a look at some of the best performers in 2016 by surface this year:

Hard Courts (minimum 10 matches)
Andy Murray won six of his nine titles on hard courts in 2016, contesting eight finals on the surface (6-2). Juan Martin del Potro, who rose from No. 1041 at the start of the year to No. 38 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, won .750 of his 2016 matches on hard courts, including a win over Andy Murray in the Davis Cup semi-finals.

Clay Courts (minimum 10 tie-breaks)
Novak Djokovic and Murray competed in three clay-court finals in 2016 – the Mutua Madrid Open, Internazionali BNL d’Italia and at Roland Garros. King of Clay Rafael Nadal enjoyed a resurgence with his ninth Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters and ninth Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell crown to equal Guillermo Vilas’ record of 49 red dirt trophies.

Grass Courts (minimum 5 matches)
Murray once again dominated on mown lawns by picking up a record fifth Aegon Championships crown prior to triumphing again at Wimbledon. Milos Raonic, who lost to Murray in The Queen’s Club final, reached his first Grand Slam title match at SW19. Nicolas Mahut added to his 2013 and 2015 titles at the Ricoh Open in ‘s-Hertogenbosch.

Outdoors (minimum 10 matches)
Five of Djokovic’s seven titles in 2016 came outdoors, including a 14-match winning streak at the start of the season. Murray continued to improve his hard-court tally year-on-year (2014 – 45-16; 2015 – 58-10). Gael Monfils, the newest member of the Top 10, enjoyed a career-best year with one hard-court trophy at the Citi Open in Washington, DC.

Indoors (minimum 10 matches)
Murray completed 2016 with a 15-match indoor winning streak that helped him become year-end No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, including three titles at the Erste Bank Open 500, the BNP Paribas Masters and the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. Del Potro was victorious indoors at the If Stockholm Open in a comeback year from injury.