Comparisons between the “Big Four” have been numerous the past several years – but never regarding the specifics of their return depth and direction.

A new Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers match data platform compiles exactly that. It is the Serve & Return Tracker, and it sheds new light on where players return, and how their win percentages increase the deeper they get the return in the court.

The dataset for this analysis comes from ATP World Tour Masters 1000 events and the Nitto ATP Finals from 2011-2017, during the dominance of the Big Four. It is specific to returning first serves.

Return Direction vs. First Serves
The first thing that stands out is that Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Andy Murray surprisingly return a lot more first serves to the Deuce court than the Ad court.

Big Four Average On First-Serve Returns
To the Deuce Court = 62 per cent

To the Ad Court = 38 per cent

The obvious reason is that they are essentially on defence returning first serves, and going crosscourt from the Deuce court and more middle from the Ad court simply means more returns in play. Keep in mind these returns are going back to a right-hander’s more aggressive forehand, so it’s a trade-off between balls in play and continually being attacked.

Big Four 2011-2017: First-Serve Returns To The Deuce Court / Ad Court

Return Depth vs. First Serves
The court is cut up into three specific depths to evaluate return performance.

Short return = in the service box.

Middle return = closer to service line than baseline.

Deep return = closer to baseline than service line.

Imagine a line halfway between the service line and the baseline. That’s the barrier that separates a middle return from a deep return. Djokovic was the best of the Big Four at getting first-serve returns deep back at the server.

Deep Returns Made
Djokovic 26%

Federer 25%

Murray 22%

Nadal 21%

All four player players hit the majority of returns in the middle section of the court. Only Djokovic and Federer were able to hit more balls deep near the baseline than short in the service box.

Big Four 2011-2017: First Serve Returns Made Short / Middle / Deep

^{(bold = best)}

We are accustomed to watching Nadal stand way back to return first serves, and we see one of the outcomes here. Standing farther back lets the ball slow down and drop into Nadal’s hitting zone where he can swing big, but the result is he hits more returns short than any of the other three players. Nadal hit 32 per cent of his returns in the service box, and was the least proficient at getting the return deep, at 21 per cent.

Return Depth Win Percentage
Both Djokovic and Nadal were the leaders at winning points with deep returns, at 58 per cent. Djokovic has had the highest win percentage of the Big Four when the return landed short and in the middle of the court.

Big Four 2011-2017: First Serve Returns Win Percentage Short / Middle / Deep

^{(bold = best)}

Overall, the honours for return performance against first serves go to Djokovic, as he led the Big Four with the highest percentage of deep returns, the least short returns, and the highest win percentage overall.

Roberto Bautista Agut returned to winning ways at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships on Monday, ending a three-match tour-level losing streak with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Florian Mayer.

“I felt great on the court,” Bautista Agut said. “He was mixing up all his game, and he was playing very aggressively on the return. We made a lot of good returns, both of us…. I think I did a great job.”

The Spaniard, who had failed to record a win since lifting his seventh ATP World Tour title at the ASB Classic last month (d. Del Potro), struggled to hold serve throughout the 76-minute encounter, losing serve three times. However, the World No. 23 broke Mayer on five occasions to reach the second round in Dubai for the sixth consecutive year. The 29-year-old will next face Joao Sousa (2-2 FedEx ATP Head2Head) or Pierre-Hugues Herbert (2-0 FedEx ATP Head2Head).

“Here the ball flies after a deep return. [It] wasn’t easy to keep [holding] serve,” the Spaniard admitted. “Then I tried to play more aggressively on my second serve, tried to start the game with my serve a bit faster. I think I did well.”

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Sixth seed Philipp Kohlschreiber beat French qualifier Gleb Sakharov 6-4, 6-2 in 73 minutes, earning his 11th victory in Dubai (11-8). The 34-year-old, who has lost to the eventual champion in the past two editions of the tournament, won an impressive 82 per cent of points behind his second serve and broke the Frenchman on four occasions to notch his second tour-level win of the year.

The 2014 semi-finalist will meet wildcard Stefanos Tsitsipas for a place in the quarter-finals. The #NextGenATP Greek snapped a five-match tour-level losing streak to beat Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Kukushkin 6-2, 6-7(5), 6-3.

Robin Haase survived a tough first-round test to beat Quentin Halys 7-5, 2-6, 6-4. The Dutchman was put under constant pressure on serve, with Halys creating 17 break-point opportunities, but Haase saved 13 of them to reach the second round after two hours and 15 minutes. He will play top-seeded Grigor Dimitrov or wild card Malek Jaziri.

Did You Know?
Philipp Kohlschreiber has lost to the eventual champion in the quarter-finals of the past two editions of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships. The German lost in straight sets to Stan Wawrinka in 2016 and failed to convert seven match points against Andy Murray last year.

It seems flying high in the ATP Rankings is not enough for Grigor Dimitrov.

Before starting his campaign for a first title at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, the World No. 4 visited Dubai Marina to enjoy the adrenaline rush of the XLine on Monday. The zip line attraction flies over land and water at speeds of up to 80 kilometres per hour, beginning at a height of 170m before reaching ground level.

“I’ve done a lot of zip lines, but there is nothing you can compare to this. It takes my breath away, to be honest,” said Dimitrov.

Competing in Dubai for the first time since 2011 (l. to Gasquet), the Bulgarian was keen to enjoy the activities on offer at the famous tourist destination. “It’s important to do something outside of the court to feel mentally just that you are doing something different, to come back to the court a bit fresher and a bit more excited,” said the top seed.

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The reigning Nitto ATP Finals champion goes into his fourth tour-level event of the season in good form, after reaching the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament final in Rotterdam (l. to Federer). The 26-year-old has compiled a 10-3 record in 2018, and will be keen to add five more wins to his tally this week.

“I want to win the tournament, but what’s most important for me is I build after every match I play and hopefully I’m able to deliver,” said Dimitrov. “That’s very important to me in every tournament I play and this one in particular.”

Dimitrov begins his Dubai championship bid on Tuesday evening against wild card Malek Jaziri.

No. 61 Frances Tiafoe, +30
The 20-year-old won his first ATP World Tour title at the Delray Beach Open, beating Germany’s Peter Gojowczyk in Sunday’s final. Tiafoe toppled second seed Juan Martin del Potro, reigning Next Gen ATP Finals champion Hyeon Chung and fellow #NextGenATP contender Denis Shapovalov to reach the championship match. Tiafoe becomes the youngest American to win an ATP World Tour title since 2002, when a 19-year-old Andy Roddick won his fifth ATP World Tour crown (Houston). The #NextGenATP American rises 30 places to No. 61 in the ATP Rankings, one place shy of his career-best mark. Read & Watch Highlights.

No. 18 Diego Schwartzman, +5
Schwartzman breaks into the Top 20 of the ATP Rankings for the first time in his career after clinching his second ATP World Tour title at the Rio Open presented by Claro, defeating Fernando Verdasco in straight sets. The 5’7” Argentine did not drop a set en route to the title, defeating Gael Monfils, Nicolas Jarry and eighth seed Verdasco in his final three matches. Schwartzman jumps five spots to a career-best No. 18. Read & Watch Highlights.

No. 41 Karen Khachanov, +6
The 21-year-old clinched his second ATP World Tour title at the Open 13 Provence with a tight, three-set win over home favourite Lucas Pouille. Khachanov had reached the semi-finals of just one ATP World Tour event since clinching his first tour-level title at the Chengdu Open in 2016, but produced his best tennis to stun Tomas Berdych and Pouille to win the title. The Russian moves up six positions to No. 41. Read & Watch Highlights.

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Other Notable Top 100 Movers This Week
No. 27 Fernando Verdasco, +13
No. 51 Peter Gojowczyk, +13
No. 73 Nicolas Jarry, +21
No. 93 John Millman, +10

There is a new star emerging in Australian tennis. After reaching the semi-finals in just his fourth ATP Challenger Tour event, at the Shimadzu Kyoto Challenger, 19-year-old Blake Ellis has plenty of cause for optimism.

The Brisbane native showcased his fighting quality in Kyoto, with three consecutive three-set wins over Japanese opposition before falling to top seed John Millman in the last four. Ellis is now one of four Aussie teenagers inside the Top 600 of the ATP Rankings, having risen 164 spots to a new career-high No. 510 in the ATP Rankings on Monday. 

But don’t let that ranking fool you. Embarking on what he hopes to be his first full season as a professional, he is ready to take the next step on the Challenger circuit.

“It was an amazing week,” Ellis told ATPWorldTour.com. “I had a great week with some great wins, so I really enjoyed it. It was my first tournament I’ve played indoors as well. 

“It gives me a great deal of confidence, to match up with those players who are in the Top 200. I have to take that into next week in Yokohama and throughout the year.”

The young Australian has great support as he continues his quest to climb up the ATP Rankings, with former World No. 11 doubles player Wayne Arthurs in his corner. Arthurs won 12 ATP World Tour doubles titles between 1994 and 2005 before retiring two years later.

“We started working together a couple years ago and he’s been trying to implement his great serve-and-volley skills into my game,” Ellis added. “We’ve been working a lot on my forehand and serve and volleys. Now, it’s just trying to take that from the practice court and use it on the match court.” 

Aussie Teens In The Top 600

The Australian, who enjoys watching football and NBA basketball away from the court, can also count on the advice of another compatriot: 2018 breakout star Alex de Minaur. 

“We are really good mates. It’s great to see that he’s doing well and I’m really proud of him. He’s setting a good benchmark for other Aussies to follow. Definitely pushes me on the court to see guys my age like De Minaur, Shapovalov and Moutet all doing well. It sets a high standard for me to follow. I’ll take one tournament at a time and see if I can get there.”

Ellis is all too aware that the road to the top of the sport will not be easy. He has already noticed significant differences between the Futures level and competing on the Challenger circuit.

“The depth of the players is the main difference,” said Ellis. “In Futures, you get a few easy rounds, but in Challengers everyone is difficult to beat. Even in qualifying. That is the big difference, the depth and quality of the players.”

Ellis’ short term goal is to establish himself on the ATP Challenger Tour this season, to progress up the ATP Rankings ahead of what appears to be a very bright future. 

“Hopefully this year I’ll play a few more Challengers than I did last year,” said Ellis. “I hope to get my ranking up a bit higher than what it is at the moment. That’s the first big goal, but we’ll take it one step at a time.”