Roger Federer did it again – winning the year end masters tournament for the 6th time. He had to beat Jo Wilfried Tsonga for the third time in 3 weeks to confirm his supremacy over Jo.

Roger Federer winning 6th ATP World Tour Finals title / AFP PHOTO / GLYN KIRK

I followed the match and did my usual analysis but there’s nothing spectacular to report except that all sets were decided in flashes of brilliance of both players. (more…)

Rafael Nadal scored another win in the Grand Slam finals against Roger Federer with the recent win at the Roland Garros 2011.

Rafael Nadal beats Roger Federer in Roland Garros 2011 Final (AP Photo/Lionel Cironneau)

Nadal now leads 6-2 in the Grand Slam finals against Federer.

The question that many ponder is what would have happened if Federer won the first set.

He was a break up and missed a drop shot by a centimeter at a set point which would have given him a 6-2 first set. That would surely send a very strong message to both players.

Federer would really start to believe that he has a chance. (more…)

So far people are talking about how Nadal and Djokovic have officially usurped Federer’s throne for good.  But there is something much deeper here.

Roger Federer in action / Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images

Something that I think may change the way pro tennis is played for many years to come.

Federer alluded to this when he lamented the fact that hard courts are so slow now that they play like clay.

It is no secret that the game has been slowed down considerably over the last few years.  Not only are the courts considerably slower but the balls are also heavier.

Federer grew up playing on faster courts with a game that was perfected during the 90′s.  His tennis idols were all-court players who tried to end points at the net. (more…)

Novak Djokovic has succeeded in winning his second Masters 1000 tournament in a row and beating Rafael Nadal for the second time in a row.

Djokovic beats Nadal in Miami 2011 final / Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

This time it was even more close than in the the Indian Wells final as Djokovic won in the tie-break in the third set.

What was very interesting when we look at the stats of the third set is how aggressive both players were on their serve.

(Note: the official stats do not record forcing shots – only clean winners. I do since they show how the point was made.

The problem with official stats which contain only clean winners and unforced errors is that if you add them up you realize that a lot of the points played were not recorded.

That’s because they are neither winners or unforced errors – but they are shots that force the opponent into errors.) (more…)

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal met for the 23rd time in their careers yesterday evening in the semifinals of Miami ATP 1000 Masters tournament.

I probably watched at least 20 of their 23 meetings and this time I saw again Federer self-destruct with tons of unforced errors as it happened in most of his defeats against Nadal. (Nadal leads 16:8 in head to head).

Nadal and Federer at Miami Masters 1000 / (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

Let’s take a look at the stats and then I’ll share my idea of why Federer refuses to play “smarter tennis” even when he is losing to Nadal… (more…)

Novak Djokovic has beaten Roger Federer for the second consecutive time and won his third Dubai ATP title.

Novak’s run of consecutive won matches is now 15 – including his wins at the Davis Cup final, Australian Open 2011 and now Dubai.

Novak Djokovic beats Roger Federer for the 2011 Dubai Title / AFP PHOTO / KARIM SAHIB

I’ve analyzed the match and found some very interesting stats. They reveal exactly why Djokovic won so easily.

Here’s are 3 main reasons why Novak Djokovic won:

1. Better serving – Novak’s first serve percentage in the first set was 85% and he won 88% of points after the first serve. Roger’s stats were 61% and 64% respectively. (more…)

Roger Federer is back on the top! While Rafael Nadal deservedly holds the #1 ranking for the 2010 ATP rankings, Roger deservedly won the ATP Finals in fashion we haven’t seen for quite some time.

Roger Federer Wins ATP Finals 2010 against Rafael Nadal - AFP PHOTO / GLYN KIRK

Roger hasn’t lost a match in the whole tournament and beat Ferrrer, Soderling, Murray, Djokovic and finally his arch-rival Nadal with some amazing tennis.

Let’s look at some interesting stats from the match…

1. The players hit 585 shots in the 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 score. That’s 585 shots / 25 games = 24,4 shots per game and 585 shots / 130 points = 4,5 shots per point on average. (more…)

Roger Federer beat Novak Djokovic in the Basel 2010 final 6-4, 3-6, 6-1 and surpassed Pete Sampras’ record of 64 tour titles by one.

Roger Federer wins Basel ATP 2010 against Novak Djokovic / Photo by AFP PHOTO / FABRICE COFFRINI

I’ve analyzed this match in a slightly different way – I actually noted every shot they made.

The end of each point was also noted – whether it was a untouchable winner, forcing shot that forced an error or an unforced error.

For example, this is how the stats looked like for the first game of the match when Djokovic was serving:

2 UW, 12 UE, 1 UW, 3 UE, 8 UE, 2 SW, 2 SW, 4 UE

The first point is 2 UW which means that there were 2 shots – a serve and a return and the return was an UW – untouchable winner.

(more…)

Rafael Nadal has just won his first US Open and completed a career Grand Slam which is a remarkable achievement considering his age and that he is playing in the era of Roger Federer.

But there was a certain pattern occurring in the last 3 Grand Slams – Roland Garros, Wimbledon and US Open.

The player who beat Roger Federer in each tournament eventually faced Rafael Nadal in the final – and lost.

Robin Soderling beat Federer at Roland Garros with 3-6, 6-3, 7-5, 6-4, reached the final and then lost to Rafael Nadal easily with 6-4, 6-2, 6-4.

Tomas Berdych beat Federer at Wimbledon 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 and then lost in 3 straight sets again to Nadal in the final with 6-3, 7-5, 6-4.

Novak Djokovic beat Federer for the first time at the US Open with 5-7, 6-1, 5-7, 6-2, 7-5 and again lost to Nadal with 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-2. (more…)

Rafael Nadal has beaten Roger Federer for the 14th time in their 21st meeting at the Madrid Masters 2010 by 6-4, 7-6 (7:5).

It was a rematch of the Federer-Nadal 2009 Madrid final which Roger won 6-4, 6-4.

Rafael Nadal beats Roger Federer in the final of the Madrid 2010 / Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

Rafa and Roger have not played since last year’s final and it was evident that they were both searching for the most effective tactic against each other.

I’ve analyzed the match and here are some interesting facts when it comes to unforced errors: (more…)