Double fault (tennis)

Last updated

In tennis, if the serving player makes two mistakes in the same point, it is called a double fault, and they lose the point and the point is awarded to their opponent. [1]

Contents

Amateur Era singles records

Gerald Patterson allegedly holds the record for the most double faults committed in a Grand Slam final: he committed 27 double faults in a 71-game match against John Hawkes in the 1927 Australian Championships, but still managed to clinch the victory. [2]

At the 1957 Wimbledon Championships, Maria de Amorin committed 17 double faults in a row in her second-round encounter against Berna Thung. De Amorin took a set off her opponent, but eventually lost the match. [3]

Open Era singles records

Double faults have been officially recorded by the top-level professional tennis circuits since 1991. [4]

Only main draw singles matches are included here.

Key
W F SFQF#RRRQ#P#DNQAZ#POGSBNMSNTIPNH
(W) winner; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (P#) preliminary round; (DNQ) did not qualify; (A) absent; (Z#) Davis/Fed Cup Zonal Group (with number indication) or (PO) play-off; (G) gold, (S) silver or (B) bronze Olympic/Paralympic medal; (NMS) not a Masters tournament; (NTI) not a Tier I tournament; (P) postponed; (NH) not held; (SR) strike rate (events won / competed); (W–L) win–loss record.

ATP Tour

Alexander Bublik is one of only three players to have committed more than 25 double faults in a Grand Slam match. Bublik WM19 (34) (48522041177).jpg
Alexander Bublik is one of only three players to have committed more than 25 double faults in a Grand Slam match.

Among all players, active or retired, the worst average of double faults per match, shared between Henrik Holm and Radomír Vašek, is 7.2, while Gilbert Schaller has the best average, at 1.0. [5]

Most double faults in a match

#PlayerW/LOpponentRoundEventSetsSurfaceRef.
30 Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Marc Rosset L Flag of France.svg Arnaud Clément QF 2001 Davis Cup 5Carpet (i) [6]
27 Flag of Croatia.svg Goran Ivanišević L Flag of India.svg Leander Paes PO 1995 Davis Cup 5Grass [7]
26 Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Marc RossetL Flag of the United States.svg Michael Joyce 1R 1995 Wimbledon 4Grass [8]
Flag of Kazakhstan.svg Alexander Bublik W Flag of Italy.svg Thomas Fabbiano 2R 2019 US Open 5Hard [9]
Flag of France.svg Pierre-Hugues Herbert L Flag of Spain.svg Pablo Andújar 1R 2021 Wimbledon 5Grass [10]

Most double faults in a three-setter

#PlayerW/LOpponentRoundEventSurfaceRef.
25 Flag of the United States.svg Maxime Cressy L Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Felix Auger-Aliassime 1R 2023 Dubai Hard [11]

Most double faults in a two-setter

#PlayerW/LOpponentRoundEventSurfaceRef.
16 Flag of Argentina.svg Guillermo Coria L Flag of Italy.svg Alessio di Mauro 1R 2006 Acapulco Clay [12]

Most consecutive double faults

#PlayerW/LOpponentRoundEventSurfaceRef.
5 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Greg Rusedski W Flag of Russia.svg Mikhail Youzhny 1R 2006 Miami Hard [13]

Committing four consecutive double faults in a single game

PlayerW/LOpponentRoundEventSurfaceRef.
Flag of Germany.svg Boris Becker W Flag of France.svg Jean-Philippe Fleurian SF 1995 Hopman Cup Hard [14]
Flag of France.svg Cédric Pioline L Flag of Belarus.svg Vladimir Voltchkov 2R 2000 Wimbledon Grass [15]
Flag of Argentina.svg Guillermo Coria W Flag of Germany.svg Nicolas Kiefer 3R 2006 Monte Carlo Clay [16]
Flag of Spain.svg Fernando Verdasco L Flag of Russia.svg Teymuraz Gabashvili 2R 2014 Australian Open Hard [17]
Flag of Germany.svg Mischa Zverev L Flag of Bulgaria.svg Grigor Dimitrov 2R 2017 Montreal Hard [18]
Flag of France.svg Benoît Paire L Flag of Italy.svg Fabio Fognini RR 2021 ATP Cup Hard [19]
Flag of the United States.svg Maxime Cressy W Flag of France.svg Geoffrey Blancaneaux 1R 2023 Marseille Hard (i) [20]

WTA Tour

Anna Kournikova holds the record for the most double faults in a match with 31, in a clash against Miho Saeki that has been labeled as "one of most feeble and unintentionally comical matches of all time". [21]

Most double faults in a match

#PlayerW/LOpponentRoundEventSetsSurfaceRef.
31 Flag of Russia.svg Anna Kournikova W Flag of Japan.svg Miho Saeki 2R 1999 Australian Open 3Hard [22]
28 Flag of Italy.svg Raffaella Reggi L Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Helen Kelesi QF 1988 Rome 2Clay [23] [24]
Flag of Australia (converted).svg Jelena Dokic L Flag of Germany.svg Julia Schruff 1R 2006 Auckland 3Hard [25]
27 Flag of Russia.svg Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova L Flag of Kazakhstan.svg Galina Voskoboeva QF 2011 Baku 3Hard [26]
21 Flag of the United States.svg Coco Gauff L Flag of Russia.svg Aryna Sabalenka SF 2024 Wuhan 3Hard [27]

Most double faults in a game

#PlayerW/LOpponentRoundEventSetsSurfaceRef.
7 Flag of Latvia.svg Jeļena Ostapenko W Flag of the United States.svg Alison Riske 2R 2019 US Open 2Hard [28]
Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg Zheng Qinwen W Flag of the United States.svg Ashlyn Krueger 1R 2024 Australian Open 3Hard [29]
6 Flag of the United States.svg Danielle Collins L Flag of Tunisia.svg Ons Jabeur 3R 2021 Indian Wells 2Hard [30]
Flag of Belarus.svg Aryna Sabalenka W Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg Xinyu Wang 2R 2022 Australian Open 2Hard [31]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fabio Fognini</span> Italian tennis player

Fabio Fognini is an Italian professional tennis player. He has a career-high ATP ranking of world No. 9 achieved on 15 July 2019. Fognini's most successful surface is red clay, where he has won eight of his nine ATP singles titles, most notably at the 2019 Monte-Carlo Masters. He also reached the quarterfinals of the 2011 French Open. Together with Simone Bolelli, Fognini won the 2015 Australian Open doubles championship, becoming the first all-Italian men's pair to win a Grand Slam title in the Open Era.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robin Haase</span> Dutch tennis player (born 1987)

Robin Haase is a Dutch professional tennis player. He reached his career-high ATP singles ranking of world No. 33 in July 2012 and his highest doubles ranking of world No. 29 in May 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matwé Middelkoop</span> Dutch tennis player

Matwé Middelkoop is a Dutch professional tennis player who specialises in doubles. He has won 14 doubles titles on the ATP Tour, most notably the 2022 Rotterdam Open alongside Robin Haase, and reached a career high doubles ranking of world No. 18 on 6 February 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Horacio Zeballos</span> Argentine tennis player

Horacio Zeballos Jr. is an Argentine professional tennis player. He reached a career-high doubles ranking of world No. 1 on 6 May 2024, becoming the first Argentinian man to achieve the feat. He also has a career-high singles ranking of No. 39 achieved on 4 March 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pierre-Hugues Herbert</span> French tennis player

Pierre-Hugues Herbert is a French professional tennis player. In doubles, he has completed the Career Grand Slam with titles at the 2015 US Open, the 2016 Wimbledon Championships, the 2018 French Open, the 2021 French Open, and the 2019 Australian Open partnering Nicolas Mahut. His career-high doubles ranking is World No. 2 achieved on 11 July 2016. The pair have also claimed seven ATP Tour Masters 1000 titles and ATP Finals titles in 2019 and 2021. In singles, Herbert has reached four ATP career finals and achieved his career-high singles ranking of world No. 36 on 11 February 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Márton Fucsovics</span> Hungarian tennis player

Márton Fucsovics is a Hungarian professional tennis player. He achieved a career-high ATP singles ranking of No. 31 on 4 March 2019. He is currently the No. 2 Hungarian player.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dušan Lajović</span> Serbian tennis player (born 1990)

Dušan Lajović is a Serbian professional tennis player. On 29 April 2019, he reached his career-high singles ranking of world No. 23. On 21 September 2020, he peaked at No. 82 in the doubles rankings. Lajović has won two singles and two doubles titles on the ATP Tour.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guido Pella</span> Argentine tennis player

Guido Pella is an Argentine former professional tennis player. In August 2019, Pella reached his career best world No. 20 in singles. In July 2019, he peaked at No. 55 in doubles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrey Rublev</span> Russian tennis player (born 1997)

Andrey Andreyevich Rublev is a Russian professional tennis player. He has been ranked as high as world No. 5 in singles by the ATP, which he first achieved in September 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Benjamin Bonzi</span> French tennis player (born 1996)

Benjamin Bonzi is a French professional tennis player. Bonzi has a career-high ATP singles ranking of world No. 42 achieved on 6 February 2023. He also has a career high doubles ranking of world No. 121 achieved on 19 September 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daniel Elahi Galán</span> Colombian tennis player (born 1996)

Daniel Elahi Galán Riveros is a Colombian professional tennis player. He reached a career-high ATP singles ranking of No. 56 on 17 July 2023. He also has a career-high doubles ranking of No. 305 achieved on 26 February 2018. He is currently the No. 1 Colombian tennis player. His best result at a Major is a fourth-round appearance at the 2023 Wimbledon Championships.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexander Bublik</span> Kazakhstani tennis player (born 1997)

Alexander Stanislavovich Bublik is a Kazakhstani professional tennis player. He has been ranked as high as world No. 17 in singles by the ATP, achieved in May 2024, and is the current Kazakhstani No. 1 player. Bublik also has a career-high doubles ranking of world No. 47, attained on 8 November 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sebastian Ofner</span> Austrian tennis player

Sebastian Ofner is an Austrian professional tennis player. He has a career high ATP singles ranking of World No. 37 achieved on 8 January 2024. He is currently the No. 1 Austrian player.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marc-Andrea Hüsler</span> Swiss tennis player

Marc-Andrea Hüsler is a Swiss professional tennis player. He has a career-high singles ranking by the ATP of world No. 47, achieved on 13 February 2023. In doubles, he achieved a career-high ranking of world No. 132 on 25 October 2021. He is currently the No. 4 Swiss player.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arthur Rinderknech</span> French tennis player (born 1995)

Arthur Rinderknech is a French professional tennis player. He has a career-high ATP singles ranking of world No. 42 achieved on 31 October 2022. He also has a career-high ATP doubles ranking of world No. 124 achieved on 8 November 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maxime Cressy</span> American tennis player

Maxime Cressy is a French-American professional tennis player. He has a career-high singles ranking of world No. 31 by the ATP, achieved on 8 August 2022. He has been ranked as high as world No. 64 in doubles, achieved on 8 May 2023. Cressy has won one title on the ATP Tour and three singles titles and two doubles titles on the ATP Challenger Tour. Before 2018, he played for his country of birth, France.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jack Draper</span> British tennis player (born 2001)

Jack Alexander Draper is a British professional tennis player. He has been ranked as high as world No. 20 in singles by the ATP, achieved on 9 September 2024, and a doubles ranking of No. 477 attained on 14 February 2022. Draper has won one title on the ATP Tour, at the 2024 Stuttgart Open, and his best performance at the majors is the semifinals of the 2024 US Open.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tomás Martín Etcheverry</span> Argentine tennis player (born 1999)

Tomás Martín Etcheverry is an Argentine professional tennis player. He has a career high ATP singles ranking of world No. 27, achieved on 12 February 2024. He also has a career-high ATP doubles ranking of world No. 205, achieved on 19 September 2022. He is the current Argentinian No. 3 in singles.Etcheverry has captured three ATP Challenger and five ITF titles in singles as well as six ITF and one ATP Challenger title in doubles.

The 2022 Rafael Nadal tennis season officially began on 3 January 2022, with the start of the ATP 250 tournament in Melbourne. It includes Nadal's best start to an ATP Tour season, when he won his first 20 matches in a row. It was also his career-first season winning the first two majors of the year, hence completing the Australian-French title double. As such, Nadal broke his tie with Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, and became the first man in history to win a total 21, and 22 Grand Slam singles titles.

Maxime Cressy defeated Alexander Bublik in the final, 2–6, 6–3, 7–6(7–3) to win the men's singles tennis title at the 2022 Hall of Fame Open. It was his maiden ATP Tour title.

References

  1. double fault - Definition from collinsdictionary.com.
  2. "Gerald Patterson – Sport Australia Hall of Fame" . Retrieved 7 February 2021.
  3. "La trastienda de Wimbledon". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 19 April 2020. Archived from the original on 9 February 2021. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
  4. "Kyrgios' Serve Among Best In History". 19 December 2016. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
  5. "Serve Leaders Versus All Players On All Surfaces For Career" . Retrieved 7 February 2021.
  6. "Roland Garros Meanderings". tennis.com. 26 May 2009. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
  7. "Chesnokov lifts Russia into Davis Cup final". The Guardian. 25 September 1995. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
  8. ATP [@ATPMediaInfo] (30 August 2019). "Alexander Bublik joins Marc Rosset in 1995 Wimbledon 1R as only players to hit more than 25 double faults in a match since starts started being tracked in 1991. Like Bublik, Rosset hit 26 double faults. Unlike Bublik, he lost his match to Michael Joyce" (Tweet) via Twitter.
  9. ATP [@ATPMediaInfo] (30 August 2019). "Alexander Bublik hit 26 double faults today -- most by winner of an ATP Tour or Grand Slam match since stats started being tracked in 1991. Previous record was shared by Gael Monfils, Guillermo Coria and Greg Rusedski, who all won a match with 23 double faults" (Tweet) via Twitter.
  10. "Wimbledon – 26 doubles fautes en un match, record égalé pour Herbert". tennisactu.net (in French). 30 June 2021. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
  11. "MAXIME CRESSY VS. FELIX AUGER-ALIASSIME | DUBAI 2023". ATP Tour. 28 February 2023. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
  12. "Las dobles faltas, uno de los peores errores en el tenis". puntodebreak.com (in Spanish). 8 December 2012. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
  13. "Safin, Mirza, Young Exit in Miami; Spadea Rap Album Stolen". tennis-x.com (in Spanish). 24 March 2006. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
  14. "Becker win clinches final berth". The Age. Melbourne. 7 January 1995. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
  15. "Pioline presses self-destruct button". BBC News. 28 June 2000. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
  16. "El Gato y el Mago siguen en Mónaco" (in Spanish). Página 12. 21 April 2006. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
  17. "Best of ATP Round 2: Fognini, Robredo, Del Potro, and More". Tennis View Magazine. 16 January 2014. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
  18. "Have you ever seen 4 double faults in a match by a pro?". Functional Tennis. 18 August 2017. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
  19. "Berrettini, Fognini Clinch Italy's Spot In ATP Cup Semi-finals | ATP Tour | Tennis". ATP Tour. 2 February 2021. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
  20. "Maxime Cressy implodes in spectacular fashion, serves 4 double faults in a row at Open 13 Provence". Sportskeeda. 22 February 2023. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
  21. "Kournikova's faulting farce". The Independent. 22 October 2011. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
  22. "A wild Kournikova serves up 31 double faults – and still wins". Kitsap Sun. 21 January 1999. Archived from the original on 24 September 2020. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
  23. "Internazionali BNL d'Italia, l'ultimo trionfo di un'italiana: Raffaella Reggi". sportface.it (in Italian). 5 May 2016. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
  24. "For French Open Contenders, Serving Is Mental. So Stop Thinking So Much". The New York Times. 1 October 2020. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
  25. "Nervous service rebounds on comeback hopeful". NZ Herald. 3 January 2006. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
  26. "Faulty Pavlyuchenkova falls in Baku Cup". ESPN. 22 July 2011. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  27. "Gauff hits 21 double faults as Sabalenka reaches final". BBC. 12 October 2024. Retrieved 12 October 2024.
  28. "'If I play well, everything can happen' – Bencic, Ostapenko secure third-round spots at US Open". WTA. 30 August 2019. Retrieved 14 October 2021.
  29. "Qinwen Zheng vs Ashlyn Krueger - WS125 | AO". 16 January 2024. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
  30. "Jabeur bests Collins; Haddad Maia stuns top seed Pliskova in Indian Wells". WTA. 11 October 2021. Retrieved 14 October 2021.
  31. "Sabalenka Struggles, Then Prevails as Top Women Fall at Australian Open". The New York Times. 20 January 2022. Retrieved 27 March 2021.