Jannik Sinner, two number one hits
Jannik Sinner, the numbers
Tennis Data Innovations, an independent facility created by a joint venture between ATP and ATP Media, announced four Insights obtained through collaboration with TennisViz on the overall quality of four strokes: forehand, backhand, serve and response. These were calculated based on variables such as speed, spin, depth, amplitude and the impact generated on the opponent. Novak Djokovic, who finished the season in first place for his eighth time in his career, è was the leader in three of the Insights. However, Jannik Sinner achieved notable results in two of the rankings.
The most effective forehand of 2023 è was Djokovic’s, followed by Carlos Alcaraz and Stefanos Tsitspas. Right behind them is Jannik Sinner, with a score above the overall circuit average, followed by Grigor Dimitrov, who made a great comeback with two finals (Geneva and Bercy) after a five-year absence. Daniil Medvedev surprises in sixth position, but even more surprising è the fact that he beat top10 Andrey Rublev and Norwegian Casper Ruud.
In the top 10 on the backhand, the leading contender with 24 career Slams remains at the top of the rankings, while in second place is the Italian whose skill in the fundamental is slightly superior to that of Russian Daniil Medvedev. Young Carlos Alcaraz ranks only fifth, while the winner of the season's only title in Zhuhai, Karen Khachanov, surprisingly occupies sixth place in this ranking, surpassing his own performance in the forehand ranking. Richard Gasquet (7°) and Britain’s Jack Draper (10°) also prove to have a backhand of rare quality. The competition è tough but the technical excellence è unmatched in this list of backhand masters.
Serving remains John Isner’s unmistakable badge, even though his last season è just ended. The American holds the record for the most aces on the circuit, a whopping 14,470, and showed that he has not lost his dexterity in serving against such expected opponents as Hubert Hurkacz, the 2023 ace record holder with 1,031 winning serves, Matteo Berrettini, Chris Eubanks (4°), Borna Gojo (5°) and Quentin Halys (9°). In serving, the gap between the top10 and the overall circuit average è is less pronounced than in other rankings. This shows how important the serve has become in building the modern game.
On the response front, nothing surprising to report. The season has seen Novak Djokovic being recognized by peers as the best rebounder on the circuit, and now the numbers definitely confirm the quality of this fundamental for the Serb. Along with Medvedev, Djokovic è the only player to reach a coefficient over 8 points. Jannik Sinner follows in third place with 7.8, and while superior to most of his opponents, he remains distant from the top two. Aside from Alexander Zverev, no one else è been able to exceed the 7.5 threshold.
