Daily Data Viz: Serving at break point key for Djokovic, Wawrinka in U.S. Open final
No. 1-seed Novak Djokovic and No. 3-seed Stan Wawrinka will face off in the U.S. Open men’s final on Sunday. Typically, 30-30 and deuce points are big swing points in a game. When the server wins the point he has a game point; lose it and he's facing a break point. It's one thing to be good under pressure when facing break points, but it's another to be good at avoiding that extra pressure by winning the 30-30 or deuce point. Both players have been able to avoid break points around 60% of the time.
Another key point is the first point of each game. Former World No. 1 Mats Wilander believes winning the first point of each service game is crucial for success. Looking at the performance of the final two men, it looks like Wilander was on to something. Both of the finalists have held serve 90% of the time or better when they won the first point of their service games. The difference for these two isn't as extreme as for other players when they lost the first point (both winning 75% or more) which shows one reason why they both reached the final.
When facing break point how important is getting the first serve in? For Djokovic it's made a pretty big difference at the 2016 U.S. Open. Wawrinka has been very strong on both his first and second serves under pressure—another reason why he's in his first career U.S. Open final.
Check SI.com's 2016 U.S. Open data hub page throughout the whole tournament for the latest data-driven infographics and charts from IBM, the official technology partner for the U.S. Open. IBM captures and analyzes the data that powers all of the Grand Slams, as well as the digital platforms that extend the experience to fans around the world.
