Matteo Berrettini’s first serve is one of the best on Tour. When facing break point, his big hammer simply has no peer.
An Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers of the 10 best performers so far in 2019 with first-serve points won identifies that the 23-year-old Italian comes in a very respectable eighth best, winning 78.68 per cent (1993/2533) of first-serve points. But when facing break point, his win percentage jumps up 6.58 percentage points to 84.87 per cent (129/152). That improvement is head and shoulders above his competition.
Top 10 Category: First-Serve Points Won; Comparison Of Break Points vs All Other Points
|
# |
Player |
First-Serve Win % - Break Point |
First-Serve Win % - All Other Point Scores |
Percentage Point +/- |
|
1 |
Matteo Berrettini |
84.87% |
78.29% |
6.58 |
| 2 | Jan-Lennard Struff | 80.00% | 78.64% | 1.36 |
|
3 |
John Isner |
81.72% |
81.17% |
0.55 |
| 4 | Roger Federer | 78.99% | 78.82% | 0.17 |
| 5 | Nick Kyrgios | 78.79% | 79.39% | 0.60 |
|
6 |
Milos Raonic |
80.60% |
83.58% |
-2.98 |
|
7 |
Benoit Paire | 74.12% | 77.93% | -3.81 |
|
8 |
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga |
76.79% | 80.66% | .-3.87 |
|
9 |
Taylor Fritz | 73.08% | 77.05% | -3.97 |
|
10 |
Reilly Opelka |
75.27% |
80.67% |
-5.40 |
Berrettini’s sizable jump of 6.58 percentage points is in stark contrast to the rest of the players in the group. The other nine players averaged a 2.06 percentage-point decrease in first-serve points won at break point compared to all other point scores.
When Berrettini reached the semi-finals of the 2019 US Open, his first Grand Slam semi-final, his ability to elevate first-serve performance around break points was clearly on show.
2019 US Open Berrettini First-Serve Performance
Break Points Saved With First Serve = 86.11% (31/36)
All Other Point Scores = 75.25% (307/408)
The Italian rose one spot last week in the ATP Race To London and currently sits in eighth position, with 2,185 points, only five points ahead of ninth-placed Kei Nishikori. But if Berrettini can hold onto that position or improve it in the next four weeks, he will make his debut at the Nitto ATP Finals, to be held 10-17 November at The O2 in London.
Editor's note: Craig O'Shannessy has worked with Matteo Berrettini as part of an association with the Italian Tennis Federation.
