Wednesday, 30 May 2018 / Published in ATP Tour

Rafael Nadal is deceiving you…

We have got Rafa all wrong.

Look up the word illusion online and you get the following three definitions.

a deceptive appearance or impression.
a false idea or belief.
Rafael Nadal.

Ok… I threw the third one in there, but for good reason. He absolutely belongs! In fact, he could be the poster child.

An analysis of Rafael Nadal’s opening round 6-4, 6-3, 7-6(9) victory over Simone Bolelli at Roland Garros 2018 highlights just how off base we are about how he navigates his way to victory on Court Philippe Chatrier.

Firstly, let’s focus on what we think he is – a grinder of epic proportions.

Look at the pic below, which was from the second game of the match. We see Rafa standing halfway to Spain to return serve. Soooo far back! We naturally think he is seeking a long rally where he can grind his opponents into the beaten earth.

Our perception is that the longer the rally goes, the better he becomes. Not so.

Consider this: Rafa didn’t drop a set against Bolelli but LOST more points in longer rallies than he won in this match. When the rally reached a minimum of just five shots in the court, Rafa won 43 points, and the Italian won 44.

Rally Length: Points Won/Lost

Rally Length	Nadal Won	Bolelli Won	Nadal +/-
0-4 Shots	76	53	+23
5-8 Shots	32	30	+2
9+ Shots	11	14	-3

The reality of this match is that SIX points out of TEN had a maximum (repeat maximum) of just two shots in the court from either player (total of four shots). The Spanish system or method or whatever you want to call it is predicated on extended rallies – until the Spanish sun goes down. It’s simply not the reality of clay court tennis – even for Rafa. Consider the following rally length numbers from Nadal v Bolelli.

Total Rally Length

0-4 Shots = 60% (129)
5-8 Shots = 29% (62)
9+ Shots = 12% (25)

Rafa doesn’t care about long rallies. His primary focus is squarely on the…

Serve
Return
Serve +1
Return +1

Rafa is just like the rest of us. He wins the match much more in his first two touches of the ball (0-4 Rally Length) than anything that happens after that.

Want to win like Rafa? Stop hitting forehands crosscourt until your eyes roll into the back of your head on the practice court and start developing your serve, return and the two shots that immediately follow.

That’s the secret sauce of our sport. Even for Rafa. Even on Court Philippe Chatrier.

For a deeper analysis of the massive impact the length of the rally has on winning a match, I highly recommend THE FIRST 4 SHOTS.

Click HERE for more information about this tennis strategy product, focused on the importance of the start of the rally.

For a 20% discount, enter coupon code RG2018 at checkout. It’s good during the tournament.

Cheers from Paris,

Craig

The First 4 Shots – Video

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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Rafael Nadal is deceiving you…

We have got Rafa all wrong.

Rally Length: Points Won/Lost

Total Rally Length

The First 4 Shots – Video