Thursday, 18 April 2019 / Published in ATP Tour

5 Stats You Won’t Find Anywhere Else

G’day from Monte Carlo,

It was a scintillating day of tennis today at the Monte Carlo Rolex Masters with all eight matches in the Round of 16 completed.

Here’s the results:

(1) Novak Djokovic def Taylor Fritz 6-3, 6-0
(2) Rafael Nadal def Grigor Dimitrov 6-4, 6-1
(9) Borna Coric def Pierre-Hugues Herbert 6-4, 6-2
(10) Daniil Medvedev def. (6) Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-2, 1-6, 6-4
(13) Fabio Fognini def (3) Alexander Zverev 7-6(6), 6-1
Guido Pella def (11) Marco Cecchinato 6-4, 4-6, 6-4
Dusan Lajovic def (4) Dominic Thiem 6-3, 6-3
Lorenzo Sonego def Cameron Norrie 6-2, 7-5

1: Where Did The Match Winners Forge Their Biggest Advantage?

Different playing styles will result in different areas where match winners do the most damage against opponents. Here’s the list of eight match winners, and in which rally length they dominated the most against their opponent.

0-4 Shot Rally Length

Djokovic +15
Sonego +15
Nadal +13
Lajovic +11

5-9 Shot Rally Length

Fognini +15
Pella +12
Medvedev +4

10+ Shot Rally Length

Coric +9

As you can see, the big advantages were created in “First Strike” tennis in the 0-4 shot rally length. Notable to see heavy-weights Djokovic and Nadal dominating their opponents in short rallies over long rallies.

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2: Eight Matches Combined Total Rally Length – Single Digits vs Double Digits

The more I look at rally length this way, the more I like it. You take all the rallies that happened in single digits (0-9) and compare how many there were vs. double digit rallies. Here’s the eight matches combined.

Single Digit Rallies = 873 (85%)
Double Digit Rallies = 158 (15%)

There is no doubt that clay court tennis has evolved. As you see in Dirtballer, longer rallies have occurred in the past three years more in New York at the US Open than in Paris at Roland Garros.

Have you ever heard of the term BLUEPRINT?

It means “detailed plan or program of action.”

Here’s a question for you…

Have a look at the typical one hour lesson all over the world – especially on clay!!! It’s 50 minutes of forehands and backhands and consistency and shot tolerance and grinding and massive repetition. All for what?

Does it make sense to spend 85% of your lesson trying to be awesome in double digit rallies when 85% of your matches are in singe digits?

3: Total Rally Length

Are rallies really that much longer on clay? Do we need to be ultra-consistent to be successful on the dirt? Should I let endless, mindless forehands and backhands dominate my practice court – at the expense of serves and returns?

Here’s the breakdown of rally length from the round of 16:

0-4 Shots = 53%
5-9 Shots = 32%
10+ Shots = 15%

If you have already purchased Dirtballer, you look at clay court tennis with an educated eye. You know that the 0-4 shot rally length dominates on clay, and these numbers are no surprise.

Have a look at the relationship between 0-4 shots and 10+ shots. There are north of 300% more points played with just a maximum of two shots hit by each player over extended rallies of double digits.

It begs the question… should you spend 300% more of your time working on the consistency of your serve and return over pointlessly grinding? Let the match data answer that question for you!

4: 5-8 Shot Rally Length Shone The Brightest

When you look at match data, be determined to find where players craft their biggest advantage. When you look at the eight match winners from the Rd16, they collectively forged their biggest advantage in the 5-8 shot rally length (nickname = Patterns of Play)

0-4 Shots: Match Winners 295 / Match Losers 250 = +45 point advantage
5-9 Shots: Match Winners 191 / March Losers 137 = +54 point advantage
10+ Shots: Match Winners 92 / Match Losers 66 = +26 point advantage

This is where you win. This is where you perform better than your opponent. If you break it down by single digit rallies vs double digit rallies, it’s even more compelling

Single Digit Rally Advantage = 99 points (79%)
Double Digit Rally Advantage = 26 points (21%)

5: How Did Rafael Nadal Win?

Rafa is in ominous form (what’s new). He looked “cherry ripe” defeating Grigor Dimitrov today. Where did Rafa forge his advantage in the match?

0-4 Shots = Nadal 34 / Dimitrov 21 = +13
5-8 Shots = Nadal 19 / Dimitrov 18 = +1
9+ Shots = Nadal 10 / Dimitrov 8 = +2

As you can clearly see, the King of Clay is very much the King of First Strike. His main area of separation over Dimitrov was in the 0-4 rally length, where he touches the ball a maximum of just two times.

Welcome to Dirtballer data.

Welcome to a better way to understand clay court tennis.

All the best,

Craig

Want More Clay Court Strategy?Check Out Our New Clay Court Strategy Course Here!

The practice court is clearly broken. Here’s the proof.

Points are "front loaded". By far the majority of the action, and the winning, takes place in THE FIRST 4 SHOTS. The practice court is full of long rallies. Matches are dominated by short rallies. There is a massive disconnect occurring.

We spend too much time grinding, banging balls up and down the middle of the court – that have no real benefit to winning tennis matches.

There are 3 specific rally lengths in tennis. Here is their percentage breakdown of total points.

0-4 Shots = 70%
5-8 Shots = 20%
9+ Shots = 10%

The First 4 Shots is specifically the serve, return, Serve +1 groundstroke and Return +1 groundstroke. Those are normally the shots that get practiced the least, but matter the most to winning tennis matches.

The net is an extremely high percentage place to be!

If you love playing tennis for fun, spend as much time at the baseline as you like. But if you compete – if the score matters – then you must turn your attention to the net to maximize your potential.

The “herd mentality” in tennis thinks it’s too tough to approach the net in today’s game. The conversation starts with improved string technology, more powerful rackets, and finishes with stronger, faster athletes. The herd think approaching is a relic of the past. The herd is WRONG!

AVERAGE WIN %
Baseline = 46%
Net = 66%

Data from ALL Grand Slams provides the facts about approach and volley, and the data is crystal clear – it’s immensely better than staying back at the baseline, grinding for a living.

The baseline is a tough place to create separation. Here's how to do it.

At the 2012 US Open, only 7 men and 14 women had a winning percentage from the baseline. At Wimbledon 2016, Andy Murray won the title only winning 52% of his baseline points - and he is one of the very best at it in the world!

Num3ers deeply explores the data that rules points, especially from the back of the court. Take a "deep dive" into all three rally lengths (0-4, 5-8, 9+), and winner and errors totals from the elite level of our game. The numbers will shock you!

All 4 Grand Slams

Forcing Errors = 41% Men / 37% Women
Winners = 32% Men / 29% Women
Unforced Errors = 27% Men / 34% Women

Num3ers is very much like putting a jigsaw puzzle together. It's about bringing together different data sets together to create the big picture.

Every recorded match from the 2015 Australian Open - Rd2 to the final.

There is a lot happening on a doubles court. Situations and strategies are constantly being adjusted to create mis-matches with court position. It's hard to keep track of - until now. Dou8les Num3ers is the most comprehensive analysis of doubles data in our sport. The focus is on how a point ends, and it's broken down eight ways to Sunday. Specifically, you find critical information on:

Winners rise to the #1 way a point ends (over forced & unforced errors)

- The last shot of the rally is overwhelmingly struck at the net.
- Center Window: the most important part of a doubles court to control.
- Stephen Huss: an in-depth interview on Wimbledon's Centre Court with the 2005 Wimbledon Doubles Champion.

Dou8les Num3ers leaves no stone unturned. Percentage breakdowns of how often the server or receiver hits the last shot highlight the dramatic influence of the serve. The last shot of the rally is significant, and is broken down into the following categories: volleys, overheads, passing shots, lobs and groundstrokes.

When you play a match, you actually play two matches.

When you walk out onto a tennis court, there are two matches that you are about to play. The first is during the point - a part of the match that you have spent a lot of time preparing for on the practice court. But there is a second match, that takes place in the 20 seconds between the points. This is where the mental and emotional aspects of our sport kick in.

Let's face it, there will be adversity in almost every tennis match that you play. The storm clouds are coming. How bug they are, and how long they last for, are up to you.

Between the points is very tennis specific. It provides a roadmap for the 20 seconds between the points, teaching how to handle the adversity that will surely come, and how to build on the successes that will also be present. Your mind is your biggest asset in a match, and Between the Points takes your hand off the self destruct button and stops you beating yourself.

You don't have to be good at everything, but you have got to be good at something.

You can break tennis down into four key elements - serving, returning, rallying and approaching. Each part has specific patterns of play that consistently deliver higher winning percentages than the others. No more guessing. No more opinions. All facets of our sport are covered in this exceptional product, clearly outlining what patterns to gravitate to, and how to best construct the practice court. Data comes primarily from the 2015 Australian Open.

Building Blocks

MEN = 70% errors / 30% winners
WOMEN = 74% errors / 26% winners

Forcing errors is the best way to construct a point.
You can simply break tennis down into primary and secondary patterns of play - and they are all covered here. Primary patterns include serve and return direction, forehands v backhands, and the best way to approach the net. Secondary patterns include drop shots, serve & volley and 1st volley options. If you play tournaments, this product will greatly help you simplify the singles court.

The conversation starts & ends with the Center Window.

The doubles court is like an hourglass. There are two big ends, but a small neck in the middle where all the action happens. Once you learn the power of the Center Window, where you stand to start the point will take on a lot more significance.

Doubles is a lot more about situations, with four people on the court all "dancing" with one another. Learn all the best doubles patterns, broken down for the server, returner, server's partner and the returner's partner.

Doubles Situations

The "J" - the most ideal movement for the returner's partner to attack the net.

The "V" - a better way of understanding where the server's partner should move to.

Volley Targets - there are four main areas to attack. Know which ones are higher percentage. Beach Volleyball - the idea of a "setter" and "spiker" is ideal for the doubles court.

There are certain parts of the court that the ball travels to a lot, and other low percentage areas that you really don't want to cover at all - like the alley! In general, the serving team wants to keep the ball in the middle of the court as much as possible (to help the server's partner), while the returning team benefits from hitting wider and creating more chaos in the point.

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5 Stats You Won’t Find Anywhere Else

1: Where Did The Match Winners Forge Their Biggest Advantage?

2: Eight Matches Combined Total Rally Length – Single Digits vs Double Digits

3: Total Rally Length