The Performance of Big Three After Losing The First Set

The Big Three of tennis, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic outnumber the present generation of the ATP tennis players in terms of the number of Grand Slams, ATP titles, matches, weeks on World Number one ranking and numerous other aspects of their game which they possess. Dropping the opening set becomes cumbersome for a few tennis players. After losing the first set, their game tends to go haywire and winning becomes a battle of the mind. Some statistics here depict the performance efficiency of Big Three during big matches once they drop their first set.

The Performance of Big Three After Losing The First Set in Grand Slams:

Rafael Nadal has got the superior stats in the Grand Slam department having a win percentage of 50%. Which implies, after he loses the opening set, he still manages to pull off a victory by making a comeback. His last win in this manner was the U.S. Open 2018 quarterfinal victory over Dominic Thiem. After being bagelled in the first set, Nadal directed a 0-6 6-4 7-5 6-7(4) 7-6(5) win over the Austrian.

However, in his last major match where he dropped the first set was during the Australian Open 2019 against Novak Djokovic and over there Nadal conceded a straight-sets defeat. Out of a potential 64 matches where he dropped the opening set, Nadal has made a comeback and clinched 32 of them.

On the other hand, Novak Djokovic has staked his claim to 30 wins after dropping the first set in the Grand Slam tournaments. However, countering that statistics, Djokovic records 33 losses after losing the first set. His last win in that fashion was at Wimbledon 2018 in a round-of-32 match against Kyle Edmund. And, his last defeat in the same approach was against Marco Cecchinato during the French Open 2018 quarterfinals.

Moving to Roger Federer, the Swiss ace has sealed victory in 36 matches and slumped to a defeat in 39 of them. His last victory after he dropped the first set was at the U.S. Open 2017 against Frances Tiafoe. His last defeat in a similar manner was against Juan Martin del Potro in the quarterfinals of the same tournament.

The Performance of Big Three After Losing The First Set in Grand Slams Against The Top Ten Players:

Rafael Nadal has the best track record against Top Ten players in Grand Slams. His latest loss after losing the first set was at the hands of World Number one, Novak Djokovic, and his last victory was against Thiem, who was ranked ninth.

In Djokovic’s case, his last loss was against Thiem and this time he was ranked sixth. His last victory was over Andy Murray in Roland Garros 2016, which turned out to be his one of only eight wins over Top Ten players, after losing the first set.

Finally, there is Roger Federer, whose last victory over a Top Ten players was against the fifth-ranked Kei Nishikori in the Australian Open 2017. His last loss was to Milos Raonic, ranked sixth at the semifinal of Wimbledon 2016.

The Performance of Big Three After Losing The First Set in Masters Events:

Rafael Nadal once again leads this statistics with 41.3%, compared to 38.5% for Novak Djokovic and 30.9% for Federer. The Spaniard has chalked up 43 wins compared to 61 defeats. His latest loss was a quarterfinal defeat to Thiem yet again, but this time it was at the Madrid Masters 2018.

On the other end of the scale, his last victory, after losing the first set was at Rogers Cup 2018 in Canada, which was a quarterfinal win over Marin Cilic. And that was the only set which he dropped in the entire tournament. The statistics remain the same when it comes to Top Ten players.

Meanwhile, the Serb, Djokovic has racked up 42 wins compared to 67 losses in the Masters circuit. He last lost a match to Philipp Kohlschreiber at Indian Wells 2019 after losing the first set. His last win, after losing the first set was at the quarterfinal during the Paris Masters 2018 against Marin Cilic.

Finally, Roger Federer has amassed 34 wins after losing the first set, compared to an astonishing 76 losses on the Masters arena. His last triumph after dropping the opening set was against Radu Albot at the Miami Open 2019. On the downside, his last slump was in the semifinal against Novak Djokovic at Paris Masters 2018.

The Performance of Big Three After Losing The First Set in Masters Events Against Top Ten Players: 

Roger Federer, rather embarrassingly has the worst track record of the three against Top Ten players after losing the first set. Compared to Djokovic’s mighty 30.4% and Nadal’s 23.9%, the Swiss player only has 15.4%. His last loss was against Djokovic in the Paris Masters 2018 and the last triumph after losing the first set was against Tomas Berdych at the Madrid Masters 2012.

Rafael Nadal’s last win against a Top Ten player was against the sixth-ranked Marin Cilic at Canada Masters 2018. On the other hand, his last loss after losing the first set was to Thiem in Madrid in the same year.

Djokovic has amassed 14 victories against the last Top Ten players. His latest one being against Cilic, who was ranked fifth at the Paris Masters 2018. In the loss department, after losing the first set, his defeat was at the hands of the King of Clay, Rafael Nadal at the Rome Masters 2018.

The Performance of Big Three After Losing The First Set in ATP World Tour Finals:

In terms of Tour finals, Roger Federer boasts of a percentage of 44.4% in comparison with Djokovic’s 37.5% and Nadal’s 25%. The Swiss maestro has triumphed in eight Tour Finals and lost them after losing the first set. The victory was achieved over Marin Cilic in 2017 and defeat was at the hands of 3rd ranked, Alexander Zverev in the semifinals of Tour Finals 2018.

Meanwhile, the World Number one, Novak Djokovic has triumphed in six Tour Finals and slumped in ten after losing the first set. His last victory was against Dominic Thiem in 2016 while his last defeat came against Alexander Zverev two years later.

The Spaniard, Rafael Nadal has only managed four wins after losing the first set, with his last win coming in 2015 against his compatriot, David Ferrer. Unlike Federer and Djokovic, Nadal has been halted in 12 Tour Finals, with the latest one being in 2017 against David Goffin.