The microcosm of first and second serves hit only in the Ad court by Rafael Nadal is a fascinating piece of tennis analysis in its own right.
At the 2021 Australian Open, through the first two rounds, Rafa has once again provided some spellbinding strategy in this specific part of his game.
Match 1: Rafael Nadal def. Laslo Djere 6-3, 6-4, 6-1
Ad Court 1st Serves
The first thing that jumps off the stats sheet is that Rafa only lost three points on his first serve in the Ad court in three sets. This is the beating heart of his serve dominance. Opponents should practice for months against a left-handed opponent with a nasty can-opener to get ready for the Spaniard’s wicked slice, followed by the brutal Serve+1 forehand that is immediately screaming back over the net at them.
Nadal’s 1st Serve Metrics
- 34 1st serves attempted
- 23 made (68%)
- 20 won (87%)
- 7 unreturned
It’s important to note that right around three out of four break points in our sport are played in the Ad court. What a huge advantage for Rafa to play those break points with this monstrous weapon.
Nadal’s 1st Serve Direction
- Wide = 14
- Body = 2
- T = 7
Rafa is not hiding anything here. The primary location is out wide. Whenever he needs a point, such as 0-15, 15-30, or 30-40, opponents have got to be sitting on the wide slider. Whenever Rafa is ahead in the score, he will migrate more to the secondary locations at the body and down the T to confuse opponents and obfuscate his true intentions.
Nadal’s 2nd Serve Metrics
Rafa’s opponent, Laslo Djere, has an excellent backhand, which may help explain Rafa’s sub-par performance on 2nd serves in the Ad court.
- 1 double fault
- 11 2nd serves made
- 4 won (36%)
- 1 unreturned
These are not the best 2nd serve metrics by anyone’s standards.
Nadal’s 2nd Serve Direction
- Wide = 3
- Body = 4
- T = 3
It’s clear that Rafa is mixing his 2nd serve location to keep Laslo guessing. Sometimes, mixing too much can be a bad thing. Nadal will be pleased with his first serve performance in the Ad court in this match. Not so much behind his 2nd serve.
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Match 2: Rafael Nadal def. Michael Mmoh 6-1, 6-4, 6-2
Ad Court 1st Serves
Rafa made 23/34 in the Ad court against Djere (above). Solid, but not numbers that stop you in your tracks… like these!
Nadal’s 1st Serve Metrics v Mmoh
- 31 1st serves attempted
- 29 made (94%)
- 24 won (83%)
- 8 unreturned
Goodness, gracious. This is another level, making 29/31 first serves in the Ad court. Extremely impressive metrics.
Nadal’s 1st Serve Direction
- Wide = 14
- Body = 1
- T = 14
Now, this is veryyyy interesting! Rafa served just as much wide in the Ad court as he did down the T. This is not typical for any lefty to have such an even mix, except if the opponent has an exceptional backhand return OR… Rafa is practicing his surprise serve down the T to the forehand for later rounds. Rafa’s next opponent is Cameron Norrie, who is a lefty. He is definitely going to look to mix up his Ad court first serve location a lot more against a lefty. Perhaps Rafa was feeling the mix against Mmoh. Or maybe he was also preparing for Norrie.
Nadal’s 2nd Serve Metrics
- 1 double fault
- 1 made
- 1 won (body serve)
Rafa does not give us a lot to work with here, with only two 2nd serves struck in the Ad court for the match.
Summary
Serving in the Ad court is Rafa’s strength. His ability to add many slices to both first and second serves makes it so hard to return with interest. And then Rafa is sitting there waiting for a Serve +1 forehand to punish you again. It will be interesting to see where he serves against a fellow lefty in Norrie in the next round. Will he go more T and body to attack the backhand, or keep with the heavy can-opener out wide to open the court for his Serve +1 forehand?
Cheers,
Craig