How stats from Novak Djokovic’s opening Geneva Open win compare to 2024 record
It was the happiest of birthdays for Novak Djokovic in Geneva on Wednesday.
Searching for form ahead of his French Open title defence, the world No 1 eased his way to a 6-3, 6-3 win over Yannick Hanfmann – and celebrated his 37th birthday on court with a spectacular cake.
The 2024 season has been far from perfect for Djokovic up until this point, and he will hope that his opening win kickstarts a run to what would be the first title of the year.
Tougher tests will likely await the 24-time Grand Slam winner in Geneva, but how do his opening-round stats compare to his 2024 record?
We take a look at how Djokovic fared on Wednesday.
First serve percentage
Djokovic does not have the biggest serve on the ATP, but it has been one of the most reliable over the past decade and a half.
For the 2024 season to date, the Serbian has a first serve percentage of 63%, a solid ratio – but not spectacular.
However, his percentage over Hanfmann was slightly higher, with Djokovic landing 66% of first serves in play against the German.
Read More: Novak Djokovic reaches amazing ATP win milestone as he celebrates birthday in style
First serve points won
When the world No 1 lands a first serve in play, it is incredibly difficult to take the point off him.
And that is shown in his overall stats for the season, with the Serbian winning an incredibly impressive 75% of points when he gets his first serve into the court.
That percentage was a little bit down in Geneva, with Djokovic winning 71% of first serve points against his German opponent.
However, it was still significantly ahead of Hanfmann, who only won 57% of points behind his first serve.
Second serve points won
Second serve points provide a very similar story to first serve points won.
Djokovic’s 52% of points won behind his second serve was just below his season average of 56%, but Hanfmann was only able to 38% of such points.
The world No 1 may have been slightly off in this area but was still more than solid enough to seal a comfortable win.
Novak Djokovic shared his birthday cake after celebrating his special day with a win in Geneva! #Tennis #ATP #ATPGVA #NovakDjokovic @atptour | @TennisTV | @genevaopen
➡️ https://t.co/f0JuDtsJsQ pic.twitter.com/lFc9Wd6wK9
— Tennis365 (@tennis365com) May 22, 2024
Break points saved
This is the statistic where Djokovic truly excelled in his opening Geneva match.
Despite facing 11 break points, the Serbian was only broken once by Hanfmann – in the early stages of the second set.
Djokovic saved 91% of break points against him in the contest, well above his season average of 61% of break points saved.
First serve return points won
This is another area where Djokovic performed well above his level for the rest of 2024 so far.
Up until this point the Serbian has won 32% of first serve points across the season, a solid number – but a number the greatest returner of all time would surely have been looking to improve.
And he did just that on Wednesday, winning 43% of points on Hanfmann’s first serve.
Second serve return points won
Djokovic tends to have the upper hand when returning an opponent’s second serve, winning 56% of such points this season.
But this was another area that he maximised and improved on against Hanfmann, winning 63% of points – highlighting how dominant he was on return throughout the contest.
Break points converted
Out of nine break points, Djokovic broke Hanfmann on four occasions, a conversion rate of 44%.
That levels out with his 2024 season, holding a 43% average for the year to date.
Read More: Novak Djokovic – What happened the last time the Serb played the week before the French Open?
Total service points won
Across 2024, Djokovic has a solid rate of service points won, winning 68% of points on his own service games.
He was a little bit down on this in Geneva but not too significantly, with a total percentage of 65%.
Return points won
Djokovic’s return stats from this match are undoubtedly impressive, and his return points won rate is therefore naturally above his season average.
The world No 1 won 46% of return points against Hanfmann, compared to 41% for the rest of the season.
Total points won
Djokovic was tested at times in this contest, but was largely in control and deserved his straight-sets victory.
His control over the match is highlighted in the total points run metric, winning 57% of points across the match.
And that is an upward trend, with his average for the season a little lower at 54%.
