Overall stats:



First-serve percentage did not play a big role for Federer, as he won almost the same percentage of points on first serves as he did on second. The key for Nadal was serving well, because had a much bigger discrepancy of service points won (73 percent on first, 60 on second), and serving well is exactly what he did (73 percent). As usual, Federer was the more aggressive player; he committed 20 more unforced errors than his opponent but also hit 14 more shots that led directly to to winning a point. It is also interesting to note that of the points Federer won, 68 percent came on winning shots (as opposed to Nadal mistakes). Of the points Nadal won, almost exactly half came on winning shots and half came thanks to Federer mistakes.

Set 1:



Federer was clearly the better player in the first set despite the competitive scoreline. He almost doubled Nadal’s total of winning shots (winners + forced errors). The No. 5 seed converted only one break point, but he had break opportunities in two different games. Nadal, of course, did not see a break point in any of his six return games. The Spaniard hit only two outright winners from the middle of the court or at the net. Federer finished nine points in that fashion.

Set 2:



Federer won six points with overheads and/or volleys, but he clearly spent more time behind the baseline without control of points than he did in the first set. After striking seven winners from the middle of the court in the opener, he managed only one such shot in the second. Nadal reduced his unforced error count by six from the first set.

Set 3:



In the first set, Federer hit nine winners from near the service line or inside it. In the second set, he hit seven. In the third set, he did not hit a single winner from the forecourt. In a related statistic, the 17-time Grand Slam champion made 12 backhand errors. Clearly the style of the match had switched completely to Nadal’s favor. Unable to dictate play, Federer could not get anywhere near the net and instead was scrambling back at the baseline and forced to hit backhands. In the deciding set, Nadal hit as many winning shots with his forehand (nine) as he had total unforced errors.