WOW! Rafael Nadal Eclipses Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic in a Decade Long Stat

Rafael Nadal is a decent server, but that does not stop him from racking up various trophies and titles. The rest of the game is superb and top-notch. And now, as we look back and accumulate some interesting data, we can see he is setting a high benchmark for others in some statistics.

In the past decade, it is seen that around 30 percent of the serves didn’t come back to the server because of aces and missed returns. The rest 70 percent was returned. So here is where Nadal triumphs.

In a data accumulated from 2011, Nadal ranks the highest in terms of service points won on serves that were returned to him. His points win percentage in that metric stands highest with 58.5 percent. Nadal is a whole percentage higher than his rivals Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, both of whom sit second with a percentage of 57.3.

Rafael Nadal well above the next-gen stars

The current top 10 which includes several next-gen players like Dominic Thiem and Daniil Medvedev have been ranked by this metric. The rest of the field is far from the Big 3 in this statistic. The next best after Nadal, Federer and Djokovic is Stefanos Tsitsipas, 2.1 percent behind Federer and Djokovic and 3.3 percent behind Nadal.

And if you look at the top 10 average, that sits at a lowly 54.6. That means Nadal is almost four percent over the average. And also only four players are above the average.

Nadal leads the return statistics as well as 1st serve percentage

Nadal is a glorious returner himself. When facing a serve, he and Djokovic are dreaded as they often pull out great returns. His career percentage of winning return games is the highest among the active players. He has won 33.56 percent of the return games he played in his career. The second in this list is Novak Djokovic, who is again a whole percentage below Nadal.

But still, you can’t disregard Nadal’s serve. Although it’s not pinpoint and unstoppable, it is accurate and safe. His first-serve percentage in his entire career is actually more than Federer’s. So interesting statistics show us a whole new perspective and strengths of various players.

Read More: “There Will Be Other Favourites to Win a Slam”: Former French Open Champion Points Out Rafael Nadal’s Challenges in 2021