Rafael Nadal has never had a better start to a season. The Spaniard’s win over Cameron Norrie in the final of the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC in Acapulco took him to a 15-0 record in 2022, well clear of his previous personal-best season start of 11 wins from 2014.

It has long been known that there are few weaknesses in Nadal’s game, but one aspect particularly stood out in January and February as he swept to the title at the Melbourne Summer Set, added a historic 21st Grand Slam to his trophy cabinet at the Australian Open, and then clinched his fourth Acapulco title.

A quick dig into the numbers behind his winning streak shows that Nadal’s serving has been fundamental to his recent success.

The Spaniard has won 89.7 per cent of his service games this year, up on his 85.8 per cent career average. This solid base has made it difficult for opponents to make inroads against the 91-time tour-titlist. He has not dropped a set outside of the Australian Open and all but four of his 15 wins have been in straight sets.

Holding serve so reliably has also given Nadal more freedom to attack in his return games, a combination so effective that 23 of the 37 sets he has won have been by a margin of 6-3 or greater.

It has not just been about the number of service games Nadal has won, either. It has also been about navigating pressure moments on serve.

The Spaniard’s delivery has particularly come to the fore when the World No. 4 has faced break point. His 72.4 per cent of break points saved this year is up on his 66.7 per cent career average and, handily for Nadal, his delivery seems to be functioning particularly effectively against some of his biggest rivals.

A case in point is new World No. 1 Daniil Medvedev. In the two matches between the pair in 2022, Nadal has saved 27 of the 33 break points he has faced, including 11 out of 11 in their semi-final clash in Acapulco. Despite serving only two aces in that match to Medvedev’s 10, it was Nadal who secured three breaks of serve on his way to a 6-3, 6-3 victory.

Strong statistics do not guarantee success, but numbers like Nadal’s certainly help. Even when faced with the toughest of situations on serve, Nadal is showing he has all the answers in 2022.

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Novak Djokovic confirmed on social media Wednesday that longtime coach Marian Vajda is no longer part of his coaching team.

“What a journey Marian. 15 years! 🤯😃,” Djokovic wrote on Twitter. “You have been by my side during the most important & memorable moments. We have achieved the unachievable & I will forever be grateful for your friendship & dedication.

“You will always be my family & I can’t thank you enough for everything 🙏🏻”

Outside of a short period nearly five years ago, Vajda had worked with Djokovic since 2006. The Slovakian won the 2018 ATP Coach of the Year in the ATP Awards (the award was created in 2016). According to Team Djokovic, Goran Ivanisevic remains Novak’s coach.

Djokovic began his season at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, where Jiri Vesely upset him in the quarter-finals. On Monday, Daniil Medvedev passed the Serbian for the No. 1 ATP Ranking.

Now into his second full season on the ATP Tour, Sebastian Korda is used to jumping on a plane and heading wherever life as a professional tennis player takes him.

But how sharp is the 2021 Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals runner-up when it comes to packing for his next trip?

It appears the training sessions never end for Korda, even when he’s sat in the departure lounge. The 2021 Parma finalist revealed all that and more in this edition of ATP’s Next Stop: Travel Like A Pro series.

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The 21-year-old, who reached the fourth round on debut at both Roland Garros and Wimbledon, said that he has devised a way of sharpening his return game with the help of just a laptop and a pair of 3-D glasses. He also added that his headphones are essential, especially for spinning his favourite tracks while preparing for his next on-court challenge.

“You’ll not see me without them,” says Korda. “I’m a big Martin Garrix fan. [I like] anything that brings me up. Dubstep, EDM, house…anything to get me going.”

There is a sentimental side to Korda, too. His collection of hotel key cards, reminders of his stops on Tour throughout the year, is constantly growing. The American also collects his airplane tickets.

A deep sense of distress, shock and sadness has been felt across the entire tennis community following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in the past week. Our thoughts are with the people of Ukraine, and we commend the many tennis players who have spoken out and taken action against this unacceptable act of aggression. We echo their calls for the violence to end and peace to return.

The safety of the tennis community is our most immediate collective priority. The focus of the WTA and ATP in particular in recent days has been on contacting current and former players, and other members of the tennis community from Ukraine and neighbouring countries, to check on their safety and offer any assistance.

The international governing bodies of tennis stand united in our condemnation of Russia’s actions and, as a result, are in agreement with the following decisions and actions:

• The WTA and ATP Boards have made the decision to suspend the WTA / ATP combined event, scheduled this October in Moscow.

• The ITF Board has made the decision to suspend the Russian Tennis Federation and Belarus Tennis Federation membership and to withdraw their entries from all ITF international team competition until further notice. This action follows the cancellation of all ITF tournaments in Russia and Belarus indefinitely.

• At this time, players from Russia and Belarus will continue to be allowed to compete in international tennis events on Tour and at the Grand Slams. However, they will not compete under the name or flag of Russia or Belarus until further notice.