2012 By The Numbers... Novak's 5 M.P. Saved Tops List

© Getty ImagesRafael Nadal regained his clay-court supremacy in 2012.

ATPWorldTour.com takes a look at the 2012 season by the numbers. In part three we look at the lengths some players went to win matches, and in some cases tournaments, and look at the most consistent performers this season.

Match Points Saved
Five players won matches from the brink of defeat in 2012, most notably Novak Djokovic’s heroics to save five match points against Andy Murray in the Shanghai Rolex Masters final.

First-Time ATP Winners
Only one player won his first ATP World Tour title in 2012, compared with 10 in 2011. As players competing for their first ATP World Tour title went 1-15 in finals this season, 23-year-old Martin Klizan was the only breakthrough, triumphing at the St. Petersburg Open with a straight-sets win over Fabio Fognini. He became the first Slovakian to win a tour title since Dominik Hrbaty triumphed at Marseille in February 2004.

Winning Streaks
It was a mark of how competitive the ATP World Tour was in 2012 that the longest winning streak any player was able to put together was Roger Federer’s run of 16 matches in February-March. In 2011, Novak Djokovic had opened with a staggering 41-0 mark, while a year earlier Nadal had compiled a 24-match winning run.

Qualifying Leaders
Argentina’s Federico Delbonis’ perseverance was rewarded as he qualified into eight ATP World Tour tournaments in 2012, going on to reach the quarter-finals in Vina del Mar. The ATP World Tour’s Most Improved Player Of The Year, Marinko Matosevic of Australia, qualified into six events and went onto finish runner-up in Delray Beach.

Winning Titles Without Losing A Set
Rafael Nadal reminded the tennis world of his clay-court supremacy in 2012, winning three titles at Monte-Carlo, Barcelona and Rome without the loss of a set. Novak Djokovic was also able to win an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title with a clean slate over six matches, retaining his title in Miami.

Stay tuned for part four tomorrow.