Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, and Rafael Nadal, better known as the ‘big three’, are widely regarded as the three greatest male tennis players of all time.
All three players won 20 or more Grand Slam singles titles, dominating the sport for several decades.
But of the three, which player had the most dominant serve?
Who is the best hard-court player in tennis today?
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Looking at the numbers, we’ve found a clear answer to that question.
Roger Federer had a better serve than Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal
ATP Tour data indicates that Federer had a better serve than Djokovic and Nadal.
Comparing how the ‘big three’ served during their careers
Roger Federer’s all-time serving stats
- Serve rating – 290.9 (10th all-time)
- First serve % – 62.1%
- Win % on 1st Serve – 77.3%
- Win % on 2nd Serve – 56.8%
- Service game win % – 88.8%
- Average aces/match – 7.8
- Average double faults/match – 1.9
Novak Djokovic’s all-time serving stats
- Serve rating – 284.3 (23rd all-time)
- First serve % – 65.0%
- Win % on 1st Serve – 74.2%
- Win % on 2nd Serve – 55.5%
- Service game win % – 86.1%
- Average aces/match – 5.8
- Average double faults/match – 2.3
Rafael Nadal’s all-time serving stats
- Serve rating – 284.1 (26th all-time)
- First serve % – 68.0%
- Win % on 1st Serve – 72.0%
- Win % on 2nd Serve – 57.1%
- Service game win % – 85.5%
- Average aces/match – 3.2
- Average double faults/match – 1.7
His overall ‘Serve rating’ of 290.9 places him above Djokovic (284.3) and Nadal (284.1) on the all-time list.
The Swiss also boasts a higher win % on first serve, service game win %, and average aces per match than his two biggest rivals.
And Federer is the only member of the big three who ranks inside the top 10 for aces hit.
Top-10 players with the most all-time aces
| Rank | Name | Country | Aces |
| 1 | John Isner | USA | 14,470 |
| 2 | Ivo Karlovic | Croatia | 13,728 |
| 3 | Roger Federer | Switzerland | 11,478 |
| 4 | Feliciano Lopez | Spain | 10,261 |
| 5 | Goran Ivanisevic | Croatia | 10,237 |
| 6 | Andy Roddick | USA | 9,074 |
| 7 | Sam Querrey | USA | 8,879 |
| 8 | Pete Sampras | USA | 8,858 |
| 9 | Marin Cilic | Croatia | 8,569 |
| 10 | Milos Raonic | Canada | 8,445 |
However, that’s not to say Djokovic and Nadal weren’t effective on serve.
After all, both players had a higher first-serve % than the 20-time Grand Slam champion.
While that is partly due to Federer taking more risks on serve, as evidenced by his higher win % on first serve, it’s still an impressive statistic.
In fact, all three players deserve more respect for their serving excellence, particularly given how tall they are.
The top three servers of all time (according to Serve rating) stand above 6ft 4 inches tall.
Top-three servers of all-time by Serve rating
- 1. John Isner – 312.0 (6ft, 10)
- 2. Ivo Karlovic – 309.8 (6ft, 11)
- 3. Milos Raonic – 302.6 (6ft, 5)
Federer (6ft, 1), Djokovic (6ft, 2), and Nadal (6ft, 1) were all giving up at least three inches to the biggest servers in the modern game, yet they outperformed them in several key metrics year after year.
Comparing how the ‘big three’ served in their best years
Federer had the edge over his two biggest rivals overall, but who served the best in their ‘peak’ years?
Taking each member of the ‘big three’s’ best serving years, Federer remains on top, although it’s Nadal who sneaks into second place ahead of Djokovic.
Roger Federer’s serving stats (2017)
- Serve rating – 300.5 (4th on ATP Tour)
- First serve % – 62.2%
- Win % on 1st Serve – 79.8%
- Win % on 2nd Serve – 59.4%
- Service game win % – 91.3%
- Average aces/match – 9.6
- Average double faults/match – 1.8
Rafael Nadal’s serving stats (2010)
- Serve rating – 294.4 (3rd on ATP Tour)
- First serve % – 67.1%
- Win % on 1st Serve – 75.4%
- Win % on 2nd Serve – 59.5%
- Service game win % – 90.1%
- Average aces/match – 3.8
- Average double faults/match – 1.5
Novak Djokovic’s serving stats (2015)
- Serve rating – 294.3 (6th on ATP Tour)
- First serve % – 66.4%
- Win % on 1st Serve – 74.4%
- Win % on 2nd Serve – 60.2%
- Service game win % – 89.5%
- Average aces/match – 5.4
- Average double faults/match – 1.6
Nadal’s best serving season (2010) saw him receive a 294.4 Serve rating, 0.1 higher than Djokovic received in his best year (2015).
There’s not much in it, and the reality is that at their best, Nadal and Djokovic were pretty much equal on serve.
But neither player came close to Federer, who peaked at a +300 Serve rating in 2017.
The courts speeding up certainly helped players on serve, although that shouldn’t take away from any of the numbers the ‘big three’ produced.
As the only member of the trio still active on the ATP Tour, Djokovic continues to impress on serve, and over the past 52 weeks, has a serve rating of 294.0, well above his career average.
