Stat Attack: Best of the Brits during the 2022 ATP season
It’s safe to say 2022 was a year jam-packed with thrilling moments and unbelievable achievements in British tennis and we're recapping some of the best British performances and standout players from the ATP tour this year.
Great Britain finished the season with four players in the top 50 for the first time in history, Jack Draper made his tennis breakthrough to become one of tennis’ rising stars, Cam Norrie made his maiden semi-final appearance at Wimbledon, Dan Evans added the Rothesay Open trophy to his cabinet and Andy Murray pulled together some excellent results to show why he’s still a threat on the ATP tour.
We’ve drawn together some of the numbers to show you where the Brits ranked amongst the world’s top players on the ATP Tour and which area of their games was the biggest threat this year.
RETURNS
Murray continued to maintain his reputation as one of the best returners in tennis. The three-time Grand Slam Champion ranked third highest for second serve return points won this season, coming in at an impressive 54.72%.
The last time Murray ranked third in this category was during the most successful season of his career when he won the Wimbledon Championships, clinched five tour-level titles, claimed victory at the ATP Finals, won Olympic Gold in Rio, and finished the season as year-end world No.1 in 2016.
This is a testament to Murray’s determination to compete at the top again and has been a reliable tool in his arsenal to help him rise from world No.134 to No.49 this season.
Continuing the theme of British return success, the other Brits also stamped their mark as some of the ATP’s strongest returners this year. Norrie finished the season ranked 21st on first serve return points won (31%) and 12th on second serve return points won (52.6%) – just two places below Draper in 10th position (53.5%).
Meanwhile, Evans sealed an impressive 51% of second serve return points this season, the 19th best on tour, and finished above the in-form world No.3 Casper Ruud and Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Pressure Points
Handling pressure points comes with the experience of being on tour. Despite 2022 being his first full season on the ATP tour, Draper showed that he belongs on the biggest stages, having fought off 72.4% of the 199 break points he faced – the second highest percentage on the tour.
Norrie held his nerve when it mattered most to save 63% of break points, compared to the 60% last year. His ability to convert break points was a standout strength this year and contributed to his victories in Lyon and Delray Beach. The 2021 Indian Wells champion converted 42.9% of break point opportunities this season – the 12th highest on tour.
Meanwhile, Murray showed that experience prevails in those vital match moments.
The British No.4 won 62.5% of decisive sets this year (22nd highest percentage of the year) and came out on top in 52.9% of his tiebreaks. It was moments like this that helped Murray clinch his first top 5 win since 2016 against Stefanos Tsitsipas at the Stuttgart Open, and defeat Australia’s Nick Kyrgios to make it to the final.
Serve
Draper silenced many players on the ATP tour this year with his ferocious forehand and deadly serve. The British No.3 won an outstanding 85% of his service games during the 2022 season (the 13th highest of any player on tour), outperforming the likes of Rafael Nadal, Taylor Fritz, and world No.1, Carlos Alcaraz.
The 20-year-old served with power and accuracy throughout the season, and finished the year ranked 10th for the highest percentage of first serves in, coming in at 58.9%.
Draper’s serve has quickly been identified as one of the most effective on tour and became a significant factor in his rise from 265 to 42 in the rankings this year.
Evans also made strong progress this season within his service games. The British No.2 won more points behind his first serve this season (72%) in comparison to last (70%) -finishing the season ranked 42 (four places higher than last year). These improvements helped him build the solid foundations to win 79% of his service games in 2022 and lead him to victory at the Rothesay Open Nottingham.
With an abundance of talent amongst the British players, we’re anticipating 2023 will be another year full of record-breaking and milestone moments from the Brits.