Tennis
Djokovic and Swiatek pointed as Wimbledon favourites
Novak Djokovic is in a class of his own competing on the three outdoor surfaces in our sport. An Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers analysis of the highest achievers when playing outdoors identifies Djokovic is the only player to push through the 54 per cent threshold of points won on grass, hard and clay. The data set goes back to 1991 when official records began and includes all players who have competed in a minimum of 10 matches on each surface.
The following breakdown includes only players to have broken through the 54 per cent threshold for points won on each of the three outdoor surfaces.
Grass
1. Pete Sampras = 54.64%
2. Roger Federer = 54.59%
3. Novak Djokovic = 54.16%
Hard
1. Novak Djokovic = 55.04%
2. Roger Federer = 54.43%
3. Rafael Nadal = 54.06%
Clay
1. Rafael Nadal = 56.28%
2. Novak Djokovic = 54.10%
First on hard. Second on clay. Third on grass. It’s a ubiquitous record that finds Djokovic as the only player in 30-plus years to break through the 54 per cent barrier with points won on all three outdoor surfaces. It speaks to his longevity and adaptability to thrive on slow, medium and fast courts.
Djokovic is imminently poised to improve his grass-court resume in the coming weeks at Wimbledon, where he has already won the title six times, including the past three editions. An interesting comparison between generations is that of Djokovic and grass-court legend John McEnroe.
World No. 1 Iga Swiatek will try to stay red-hot when play begins in the 2022 Wimbledon Championships on Monday at the All England Lawn Tennis Club in London. The 21-year-old from Poland enters Wimbledon 2022 having won 35 straight matches, which is tied with Venus Williams’ 35-match run in 2000 as the longest winning streaks since the turn of the century. Swiatek is coming off a victory in the most recent grand slam, the French Open. She is the +130 favorite (play with $100 to win $130) in the latest 2022 Wimbledon odds.
Novak sent his greetings to everyone at Wimbledon, so definitely get ready for some action on the courts.
