Saturday, 10 January 2015 / Published in ATP Tour

Berrer def. Nadal – what a difference the right mindset makes

Berrer def. Nadal 1-6, 6-3, 6-4

One game changed everything.

Did you see the stunning victory by Michael Berrer over Rafael Nadal this week in Doha? Wow! It was Rafa’s first match back, and the nerves really kicked in. He cruised through the first set and then lost serve in the middle of the second set, and then everything came unglued.

It’s another important reminder for all of us that no matter the odds, no matter the opponent, no matter the scoreboard, one point can turn a losing proposition into a winning one in a hurry. One point is all we are looking for when behind. Here’s some great quotes from Nadal post-match.

“I had a bad game in the third one, fourth one of the second set. He break me. After that everything changed. He played well. I was playing with more nerves than usual after‑‑ as I said before, after long time I wanted to win. I know that winning couple of matches here will help me. So that makes me play a little bit more under more tension.” – Nadal

Berrer, on the other hand was as loose as a goose. Here is what he said.

“I have made an agreement with my wife that I am allowed to play one more year, so I am really enjoying every single day on the tour. There was not a lot of pressure today, so closing it out was not the most difficult thing,”

The last time they played was in the Rd16 at Monte Carlo in 2010 where Nadal won 6-0, 6-1. It was a match that I analyzed in detail (every single shot), that produced some amazing stats. Here’s a picture of the winners and errors from that match.

It was a big tournament for Berrer until he met the Nadal freight train. By qualifying and making the Rd16, Berrer moved into the Top 50 for the first time in his career. His career high of 42 was right at that time. I noted in my report how incredibly good his body language was, despite being down 6-0, 5-0 in the match. He kept fighting. HE NEVER GAVE UP. That spirit still lives on for Berrer – what a sweet victory that must have been in Doha, especially after losing the first set 6-1!!!

2010 MATCH

This was a match that really shaped my understanding of just how good Nadal was, and how important the forehand is – in particular the run-around forehand.

21 FOREHAND WINNERS – This was a very, very quick match, but Nadal was able to scorch 21 forehand winners. That’s super impressive! Notice in the picture below that Nadal hit 75% of his groundstrokes as a forehand for the entire match – most of them (58 to 40) as a run-around in the deuce court.

Below are the totals from that match, which are simply mind blowing. Berrer hit almost double the amount of backhands (61 to 32), and was eclipsed with run-around forehands (58 to 13). He really didn’t have a prayer with those numbers.

I just wanted to share that with you, and also give a big shout out to Michael Berrer for his amazing victory. He has spent 17 years on tour and has announced he is retiring this year. What an amazing victory on his final lap.

I love information like this that tells a story, but also provides education for players and coaches all around the world. There is so much to learn, so much to enjoy in this wonderful sport of ours.

Cheers from the Gold Coast, Australia.

Craig

The practice court is clearly broken. Here’s the proof.

Points are "front loaded". By far the majority of the action, and the winning, takes place in THE FIRST 4 SHOTS. The practice court is full of long rallies. Matches are dominated by short rallies. There is a massive disconnect occurring.

We spend too much time grinding, banging balls up and down the middle of the court – that have no real benefit to winning tennis matches.

There are 3 specific rally lengths in tennis. Here is their percentage breakdown of total points.

0-4 Shots = 70%
5-8 Shots = 20%
9+ Shots = 10%

The First 4 Shots is specifically the serve, return, Serve +1 groundstroke and Return +1 groundstroke. Those are normally the shots that get practiced the least, but matter the most to winning tennis matches.

The net is an extremely high percentage place to be!

If you love playing tennis for fun, spend as much time at the baseline as you like. But if you compete – if the score matters – then you must turn your attention to the net to maximize your potential.

The “herd mentality” in tennis thinks it’s too tough to approach the net in today’s game. The conversation starts with improved string technology, more powerful rackets, and finishes with stronger, faster athletes. The herd think approaching is a relic of the past. The herd is WRONG!

AVERAGE WIN %
Baseline = 46%
Net = 66%

Data from ALL Grand Slams provides the facts about approach and volley, and the data is crystal clear – it’s immensely better than staying back at the baseline, grinding for a living.

The baseline is a tough place to create separation. Here's how to do it.

At the 2012 US Open, only 7 men and 14 women had a winning percentage from the baseline. At Wimbledon 2016, Andy Murray won the title only winning 52% of his baseline points - and he is one of the very best at it in the world!

Num3ers deeply explores the data that rules points, especially from the back of the court. Take a "deep dive" into all three rally lengths (0-4, 5-8, 9+), and winner and errors totals from the elite level of our game. The numbers will shock you!

All 4 Grand Slams

Forcing Errors = 41% Men / 37% Women
Winners = 32% Men / 29% Women
Unforced Errors = 27% Men / 34% Women

Num3ers is very much like putting a jigsaw puzzle together. It's about bringing together different data sets together to create the big picture.

Every recorded match from the 2015 Australian Open - Rd2 to the final.

There is a lot happening on a doubles court. Situations and strategies are constantly being adjusted to create mis-matches with court position. It's hard to keep track of - until now. Dou8les Num3ers is the most comprehensive analysis of doubles data in our sport. The focus is on how a point ends, and it's broken down eight ways to Sunday. Specifically, you find critical information on:

Winners rise to the #1 way a point ends (over forced & unforced errors)

- The last shot of the rally is overwhelmingly struck at the net.
- Center Window: the most important part of a doubles court to control.
- Stephen Huss: an in-depth interview on Wimbledon's Centre Court with the 2005 Wimbledon Doubles Champion.

Dou8les Num3ers leaves no stone unturned. Percentage breakdowns of how often the server or receiver hits the last shot highlight the dramatic influence of the serve. The last shot of the rally is significant, and is broken down into the following categories: volleys, overheads, passing shots, lobs and groundstrokes.

When you play a match, you actually play two matches.

When you walk out onto a tennis court, there are two matches that you are about to play. The first is during the point - a part of the match that you have spent a lot of time preparing for on the practice court. But there is a second match, that takes place in the 20 seconds between the points. This is where the mental and emotional aspects of our sport kick in.

Let's face it, there will be adversity in almost every tennis match that you play. The storm clouds are coming. How bug they are, and how long they last for, are up to you.

Between the points is very tennis specific. It provides a roadmap for the 20 seconds between the points, teaching how to handle the adversity that will surely come, and how to build on the successes that will also be present. Your mind is your biggest asset in a match, and Between the Points takes your hand off the self destruct button and stops you beating yourself.

You don't have to be good at everything, but you have got to be good at something.

You can break tennis down into four key elements - serving, returning, rallying and approaching. Each part has specific patterns of play that consistently deliver higher winning percentages than the others. No more guessing. No more opinions. All facets of our sport are covered in this exceptional product, clearly outlining what patterns to gravitate to, and how to best construct the practice court. Data comes primarily from the 2015 Australian Open.

Building Blocks

MEN = 70% errors / 30% winners
WOMEN = 74% errors / 26% winners

Forcing errors is the best way to construct a point.
You can simply break tennis down into primary and secondary patterns of play - and they are all covered here. Primary patterns include serve and return direction, forehands v backhands, and the best way to approach the net. Secondary patterns include drop shots, serve & volley and 1st volley options. If you play tournaments, this product will greatly help you simplify the singles court.

The conversation starts & ends with the Center Window.

The doubles court is like an hourglass. There are two big ends, but a small neck in the middle where all the action happens. Once you learn the power of the Center Window, where you stand to start the point will take on a lot more significance.

Doubles is a lot more about situations, with four people on the court all "dancing" with one another. Learn all the best doubles patterns, broken down for the server, returner, server's partner and the returner's partner.

Doubles Situations

The "J" - the most ideal movement for the returner's partner to attack the net.

The "V" - a better way of understanding where the server's partner should move to.

Volley Targets - there are four main areas to attack. Know which ones are higher percentage. Beach Volleyball - the idea of a "setter" and "spiker" is ideal for the doubles court.

There are certain parts of the court that the ball travels to a lot, and other low percentage areas that you really don't want to cover at all - like the alley! In general, the serving team wants to keep the ball in the middle of the court as much as possible (to help the server's partner), while the returning team benefits from hitting wider and creating more chaos in the point.

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Berrer def. Nadal – what a difference the right mindset makes

Berrer def. Nadal 1-6, 6-3, 6-4

One game changed everything.