SerpApi.Org
Jannik Sinner’s powerful first serve has been hailed as one of the key areas of improvement that has allowed the world No 1 to become a dominant force at the top of the men’s game, but the statistics for the last year tell a surprising story.
Sinner made a switch in his service motion shortly before he started becoming a powerful force at the top of the ATP Rankings, with his serve shining through once again as he retained his Wimbledon title earlier this month.
The Italian made it clear that he needed to improve his variety and consistency on his serve after he lost the US Open final against Carlos Alcaraz last September and his record since then suggests he has made good progress in that mission.
“I can say that I’m gonna become a better tennis player and I’m gonna change a couple of things on the serve, just small things, but, they can make big differences and then we see how it goes,” said Sinner. after that defeat against Alcaraz in New York.
“I’m looking forward to play these matches again, something new is now that I’m not No 1 anymore. Now you chase, it’s different.
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“Maybe I will lose some matches from now on, but I will try to do some changes, trying to be a bit more unpredictable as a player and because I think that’s what I have to do, trying to become a better tennis player.”
Despite his dominant run of form since making those comments, the ATP Tour stats for the last year suggest Sinner has plenty of room for improvement, as he is down in 35th place on the first serve percentage stats.
Sinner has a first serve percentage of 63.8%, which leaves him a long way behind leader Alexander Zverev on 72.5%.
Zverev’s serving number is all the more impressive when you consider the power he delivers his first set at consistently, with Sinner one of the few players who successfully find a way to return the German’s big weapon consistently.
Argentina’s Sebastian Baez is second in the serve percentage statistics with 72.1% and big-serving Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard is next in the list at 70.6%. If the Frenchman is getting his first serve in with that much consistency, he has to ask himself why he is not winning more matches.
Novak Djokovic is 10th in the list at 66.9%, while Carlos Alcaraz is 14th at 65.8%.
Sinner’s power is highlighted by the percentage service points won, as he tops this list at an impressive 80.9%, while towering American Reilly Opelka is at 80.8% and Taylor Fritz is third at 79.7%.
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The world No 1 also tops the list for service games won, with his percentage of 92.9% highlighting how tough it is to break the Italian.
Opelka is second in this list with 90.6% and Ben Shelton is third with 90.4%, ahead of Alcaraz at 89.9%.
Another area Sinner may be keen to improve on is his ace count, as he is down in 27th place with an average of 8.2 per match.
Opelka tops this list with a staggering average of 18.5 aces per match and Mpetshi Perricard not far behind at 15.1 and Taylor Fritz at 14.1 in third place.
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