G’day!
Novak Djokovic has done it again! The Super Serb won his seventh Wimbledon yesterday, which includes the last four in a row. Stunning numbers any way you want to slice them!
The following breakdown combines all seven matches in one data set. Those 2022 matches were:
- Rd 1 def. Soonwoo Kwon 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4
- Rd 2 def. Thanasi Kokkinakis 6-1, 6-4, 6-2
- Rd 3 def. Miomir Kecmanovic 6-0, 6-3, 6-4
- Rd 4 def. Tim van Rijthoven 6-2, 4-6, 6-1, 6-2
- Qtr def. Jannik Sinner 5-7, 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2
- Semi def. Cameron Norrie 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4
- Final def. Nick Kyrgios 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(3)
So let’s take a look at Novak’s match metrics to understand what he relied on the most to win Wimbledon again this year.
1: SERVING
- Aces = 65
- Double Faults = 24
- Unreturned Serves = 35%
- 1st Serves In = 63%
- 1st Serve Points Won = 82%
- 2nd Serve Points Won = 57%
- Service Games W/L = 112/12
- Fastest 1st Serve = 125 mph
- Fastest 2nd Serve = 115 mph
- Average 1st Serve = 114 mph
- Average 2nd Serve = 93 mph
- Break Points Saved = 65%
- Serve & Volley Points Won = 85% (23/27)
These are all really solid numbers for Novak across the board.
1st serve points won (82%) is really, really solid. As a comparison, Nick Kyrgios only won 77% of his first serve points for the tournament.
2nd serve points won (57%) was also a really high number, which was also higher than Kyrgios (53%) for the tournament. Novak’s 24 double faults might seem like it is bordering on a substantial amount, but remember he played 124 service games, so that comes out to one double fault every five service games. Nothing wrong with that at all!
What I find fascinating is that he served and volleyed 27 times and won 23. To win 85% at anything is an outrageously high number. If he was feeling very comfortable with that tactic, why didn’t he employ it more?
2: RETURNING
- Returns In = 70%
- Return Points Won vs. 1st Serve = 32%
- Return Points Won vs. 2nd Serve = 57%
- Return Winners = 6
- Return Errors = 126
- Break Points Won = 40%
The point starts in four ways. Novak had a winning record with three of them. It specifically speaks to his winning percentage of 2nd serve points.
- Novak 1st Serves Won = 82%
- Novak 2nd Serve Points Won = 57%
- Novak 2nd Serve Return Points Won = 57%
- Novak 1st Serve Return Points Won = 32%
To win 57% of all points on your 2nd serve AND on your opponent’s second serve speaks to the engine room of his victory.
3: RALLYING
Forehands
- Winners = 84
- Total Errors = 188
- +/- = -104
Backhands
- Winners = 42
- Total Errors = 159
- +/- = -117
Novak totaled exactly twice (84 to 42) the number of winners from his forehand over his backhand. Novak arguably has the world’s best backhand, but it is not in the same discussion when it comes to firepower off that side.
When you subtract winners from errors, Novak ended up at -104 on the forehand wing and -117 on the backhand side. The forehand outperforms the backhand yet again!
4: RALLY LENGTH
Total Points Played
- 0-4 Shots = 67% (968)
- 5-8 Shots = 20% (295)
- 9+ Shots = 13% (193)
- Total = 1456
Most fans will walk away from the Wimbledon fortnight remembering the longer, more spectacular rallies that Novak played. But the vast majority were short points in the 0-4 shot range.
Think about it like this…
Almost seven points out of 10 (67%), Novak hit a maximum of just two shots in the court. Tennis is dominated by the 0-4 rally length, and this is just another example of how dominant short points really are.
5: RALLY LENGTH ADVANTAGE
- 0-4 Shots: 541 won / 427 lost = +114
- 5-8 Shots: 164 won / 131 lost = +33
- 9+ Shots: 112 won / 81 lost = +31
Novak overwhelmingly crafted his advantage in the 0-4 shot rally length, where he won 114 more points than he lost. He won only 33 more points than he lost in 5-8 and 31 more points than he lost in 9+. The 0-4 rally length has the most volume and also has the largest advantage. The first four shots consist of the serve, return, Serve +1 and Return +1. This is where Novak’s exquisite skill-set takes control of the match.
6: POINT PLAY
- Net Points Won = 73% (154/212)
- Baseline Points Won = 55% (400/732)
- Serve & Volley Points Won = 85% (23/27)
- Total Points Won = 56% (817/1456)
- Average Rally Length = 4.12 shots
All of these numbers are very solid and indicative of someone that took the trophy home. Winning 56% of points is really where the ceiling exists. That’s a really high number that only tournament champions get to enjoy. So is winning 55% of baseline points and 73% of net points. Interesting to see that Novak’s average rally length ended up right around four shots (4.12). The beating heart of his rally are short points – not long ones.
Novak ticked all of these boxes on his way to a seventh Wimbledon title.
SUMMARY
If everything remains about the same for the next 12 months, you can pencil him in for an eighth Wimbledon title. You would be smart to take just one player and give the other 127 to someone else.
He will be one year older (36), but this man just doesn’t age like the rest of us. Grass is an ideal surface for his game because of the speed and ideal height he gets to play the ball. Grass takes his spin and also allows him to hit through the court. It helps his serve, but he can take away that advantage when his opponent is serving because he is incredibly gifted at returning.
Congrats Novak. Enjoy this one!
Craig