FedEx Performance Zone: Best Grass-Court Records
Crushed brick has been replaced by mown lawns. Ribbed soles have been unlaced in favour of pimple-soled shoes. Baseline battles and lengthy rallies won't be commonplace as knee-bending, dinks and sliced shots are now essential for success during the six-week grass-court swing.
World No. 1 Andy Murray was perfect on grass in 2016, with a 12-0 record (1.000), winning the two tournaments he entered: his fifth crown at the Aegon Championships (30-5 tournament record) and his second trophy at Wimbledon (53-9 event record).
The player Murray beat in both finals, Canada’s Milos Raonic, who brought on board three-time former Wimbledon champion John McEnroe for last year’s grass-court swing, went 10-2 (.833). The World No. 6 will be looking to add to his lone Grand Slam championship final appearance over the next five weeks.
France’s Nicolas Mahut, who is competing this week at the Ricoh Open, where he is a three-time champion (19-2 tournament record), had the third-best winning percentage on grass courts in 2016, going 8-2 (.800).
View Best Grass-Court Performers In 2016
Overall in ATP World Tour history, since 1973, Roger Federer leads the FedEx ATP Performance Zone for career grass-court matches with a 152-23 mark and 15 titles (.869 per cent). Federer has clinched seven Wimbledon titles and the same number at the Gerry Weber Open in Halle.
John McEnroe is second overall in the all-time list with a 121-20 grass-court record and eight titles (.858), followed by Murray, who has a 102-17 grass-court record and eight titles (.857). Bjorn Borg, who won Roland Garros and Wimbledon back-to-back for three straight years (1978-80) and the first player to wear pimpled grass-court soles, compiled a 61-11 mark, including six Wimbledon titles (.847). Pete Sampras, who won 10 titles and ended his career with a 101-20 tally (.835), is fifth overall.
View Best Grass-Court Performers According To FedEx ATP Performance Zone