Under Pressure: Djokovic & Nadal Are Clutch
Is your prowess in a match serving or returning, or are you just tough as nails under pressure? Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal have elevated their game to a level of their own, being peak performers in all three facets of our sport.
An Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers analysis of the current Top 10 identifies Djokovic and Nadal as the only two players who are rated in the Top 10 on the Infosys Serve, Return and Under Pressure LEADERBOARDS over the past 52 weeks.
The dynamic duo are ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the world and will both appear in the upcoming Nitto ATP Finals in London from 15-22 November. Djokovic has won the prestigious tournament five times, but not since 2015. Nadal finished as runner-up at The O2 in 2010 and 2013.
Infosys Return LEADERBOARD
Nadal sits in pole position on the Return LEADERBOARD with a commanding 178.0 rating. Djokovic is in second place with 168.2 rating. The current Top 10 players who also feature in the Top 10 in this statistical category are listed below.
ATP Top 10 – Return LEADERBOARD standings
No. 1 – Rafael Nadal (178.0)
No. 2 – Novak Djokovic (168.2)
No. 3 – Diego Schwartzman (167.4)
No. 6 – Daniil Medvedev (156.0)
No 9 – Andrey Rublev (152.4)
The Return Rating is determined by adding together the win percentages for First Serve Return Points Won, Second Serve Return Points Won, Return Games Won and Break Points Converted.
Infosys Serve LEADERBOARD
Roger Federer is the leading player from the current Top 10 on the Serve LEADERBOARD, with Nadal sitting in seventh position and Djokovic in 10th. Federer is looking to make a return to the Tour in January after recovering from knee surgery.
ATP Top 10 – Serve LEADERBOARD standings
No. 5: Roger Federer (295.9)
No. 6: Matteo Berrettini (289.5)
No. 7 – Rafael Nadal (289.3)
No. 9: Stefanos Tsitsipas (284.9)
No. 10: Novak Djokovic (284.9)
The Serve Rating is determined by adding First Serve Percentage, First Serve Points Won, Second Serve Points Won, Service Games Won plus the average number of aces per match, while subtracting the average number of double faults per match.
Under Pressure LEADERBOARD
It should come as no surprise the top-ranked players on the ATP Tour also fill the top two spots on the Under Pressure LEADERBOARD as well. Nadal is in first place with a 264.3 rating, with Djokovic hot on his heels with a 264.1 rating.
It’s interesting to note that there are six Top 10 players in the Top 10 on the Under Pressure LEADERBOARD, clearly showing that peak performance with Break Points Saved & Converted as well as Tie Breaks Won and Deciding Sets Won are key ingredients to reaching the elite level of our sport.
ATP Top 10 – Under Pressure LEADERBOARD standings
No.1 Rafael Nadal (264.3)
No. 2 Novak Djokovic (264.1)
No. 3 Roger Federer (248.7)
No. 4 Dominic Thiem (238.6)
No. 6 Diego Schwartzman (231.7)
No. 8 Andrey Rublev (228.9)
Djokovic and Nadal dominate the top two ranking spots for a reason. These LEADERBOARDS help paint a story of dominance, no matter what match situation they find themselves in.