Federer, Nadal: The Masters Of Momentum

Roger Federer is a master at building momentum. Rafael Nadal is the king of killing it if it’s flowing against him.

An Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers analysis of the current Top 10 from the 2019 season focusses on players winning three points in a row when serving to surge to 40/0, and also losing three in a row to drop into a precarious 0/40 hole.

Serving: Getting To 40/0
So far in the 2019 season, Federer wins the opening three points of his service game almost 38 per cent of the time – well above the Top 10 average of 32 per cent. In second place is World No. 1 Novak Djokovic, who is following closely behind at 36.21 per cent (256/707).

The other two players who have won three points in a row to start their service games more than a third of the time are Rafael Nadal and Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Current Top 10: Winning Three Consecutive Points To Go To 40/0

Serving: Avoiding Falling To 0/40
Nadal is best of the current Top 10 at not losing three points in a row and falling to 0/40 in his service games this season. Only 2.26 per cent (15/664) of the time does Nadal find himself in a 0/40 hole.

Federer comes in second at 2.40 per cent, while Djokovic is not far away in third place at 3.39 per cent. The Top 10 average falling to 0/40 just 4.31 per cent (308/7140), or around one in 23 service games.

Current Top 10: Losing Three Consecutive Points To Go To 0/40

It’s important to note that the Big Three – Federer, Nadal, Djokovic – are the leading three players in both categories. Sometimes it’s difficult to pinpoint exactly where they create their separation from the rest of the Top 10. Here’s one such specific example.