The Performance Of The ATP Top 4 After Losing The First Set

There are very few players in the world who can put on a compelling performance and claim a victory after losing the first set. It is a skill which can really put you up there with the greatest of all times.

It shows an impeccable ability to bounce back from any point of the match. Roger Federer has shown us how to do it many times in the past. Recently in the Australian Open, he lost the first set to both Marton Fucsovics and John Millman, but he bounced back to win the match.

This not only gives you a psychological edge, but your opponent also can never be sure that they’re up in a game and play with full confidence. With that said, it would be interesting to see how the top 4 measure up to this parameter. These are Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Dominic Thiem in the order of their ATP Rankings. Let’s try to rank them based upon their ability to win a match after losing the first set.

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Players ranked on winning capability after losing the first set

Here’s how the top 4 measure up:

4. Dominic Thiem

The Austrian star Dominic Thiem is one of the fastest rising tennis stars in the world. He is considered as the frontrunner for succeeding the Big 3.

However, when it comes to his ability to win after losing the first set, he comes behind the big 3. Let’s talk about the percentage of matches he wins after dropping the first set. This comes at around 32.1 per cent.

If we put this in absolute terms, he has won 59 matches and lost 125 matches after losing the first set. The most recent display came at the Australian Open where he beat Alexander Zverev in the semifinals after losing the first set.

3. Novak Djokovic

The Serbian star might be ranked first in the world right now. However, he comes at the third position when it comes to bouncing back after a first set drubbing.

His win percentage after a first set loss stands at a staggering 42.1 per cent. This tells you a lot about why Djokovic has come this far. In absolute terms, he has won 110 matches while lost 151 matches.

Novak Djokovic gave us a thrilling example of this during the recently concluded Dubai Tennis Championships. He was decimated by Frenchman Gael Monfils in the first set 6-2. However, he came back from behind to win the next two sets, 7-6 and 6-1. This was the most astonishing testimony of his ability to win out of nowhere.

2. Roger Federer

The Swiss legend comes second on this list. He has achieved everything there is to achieve in tennis. That is also because he has shown the capability to snatch a victory from the claws of defeat.

His percentage stands at 42.2. Absolute terms give him 140 victories and 192 losses. Apart from the examples mentioned above, Federer also displayed this ability at Wimbledon 2019.

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He came back from one set down to defeat a confident Kei Nishikori.

1. Rafael Nadal

The man at the top spot in this list is the Mallorcan giant Rafael Nadal. Over the years, Rafa has proven that you can never count him out in a match. Even when it seems like there’s no hope left, he has the ability to make a last gasp effort and make the unthinkable happen. That’s why he’s considered one of the best of all times. Let’s find out what his statistics dictate.

Rafael Nadal has a win percentage of 42.6. He has won 115 games and lost 155 games after losing the first set of a tennis match. Most recently, his two victories at the ATP Finals came after losing the first set.

This gave him wins against Stefanos Tsitsipas and Daniil Medvedev. That’s just one star which has ensured the dominance of Rafael Nadal.

This caps of our list of the top 4 and their records after losing the first set.