There is much that distinguishes Rafael Nadal from his tennis peers: his bolo whip of a left-handed forehand; his point-by-point positive energy and his enduring obsession with arranging his beverage bottles just so.
There is also the U.
That is the shape of the trend line on a chart that reflects Nadal’s court position when returning serve.
At times he takes a conventional approach: standing close to or inside the baseline to return. But at many other moments, including the stretch run of last year’s triumphant United States Open campaign, he becomes an outlier: retreating two meters or more behind the baseline.