A Ground-Breaking Stat Separates Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal from Others at Australian Open 2021

There is a key piece of statistics that will help Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal stand apart from the rest of the men’s field as they look to kick off their Australian Open campaigns this year.

An Infosys ATP Beyond the Numbers study of players has thrown up an interesting piece of data that puts Djokovic and Nadal head and shoulders above contemporary stars in terms of the percentage of games won in opening sets at the Australian Open.

The Serb and the Spaniard, who have 37 career Grand Slam titles and 9 Australian Open trophies between them, are the top 2 in the list which also features legends Andre Agassi and Jim Courier at numbers 3 and 4.

At 64.36%, Novak Djokovic has the highest percentage of game wins in opening set of Australian Open

While Djokovic, the current World Number 1, tops the list with a staggering 64.36% game wins in the opening sets of Australian Open, Nadal’s is at 60.86%.

Roger Federer, who is tied with Nadal 20 for the highest number of Grand Slams, trails at #5 in the list with 60.23% game wins in opening sets at Melbourne Park.

The 3-time Grand Slam champion Andy Murray is at #6, with 59.82% wins in opening set games at the event.

As the piece of data would bear evidence, the key to Djokovic’s unprecedented 8 Australian Open titles is the way he sets the tone with a flurry of game wins in opening sets.

The full-blooded assault leaves his opponents in sixes and sevens, setting them back in the game even before they have got a feel of the court and the conditions.

Nadal is second in all-time tally with 60.86% game wins in Australian Open

Djokovic’s extent of dominance at the Melbourne Park over the years is further borne out by some more mind-boggling numbers.

Recording a consistent trend of high-percentage game wins in opening sets of the Australian Open, across editions, the Serb won 76.4% of games in 2016, followed by 71.2% in 2019 and 67.7% in 2008.

Ditto for Nadal, who is known to impose himself on his opponent fairly early in the contest.  It’s an attribute that has fetched him a record 13 French Open titles.

The shock-and-awe effect will yet again be central to their strategies as they open their campaigns at the Melbourne Park this year.

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