Match Stats/Report - Djokovic vs Dimitrov, Paris final, 2023

Waspsting

Hall of Fame
Novak Djokovic beat Grigor Dimitrov 6-4, 6-3 in the Paris final, 2023 on indoor hard court

It was Djokovic’s record extending 7th title at the event and 40th masters title, while the unseeded Dimitrov was playing his first final there

Djokovic won 66 points, Dimitrov 50

Serve Stats
Djokovic...
- 1st serve percentage (32/48) 67%
- 1st serve points won (26/32) 81%
- 2nd serve points won (11/16) 69%
- Aces 6 (1 second serve)
- Double Faults 1
- Unreturned Serve Percentage (22/48) 46%

Dimitrov...
- 1st serve percentage (35/68) 51%
- 1st serve points won (25/35) 71%
- 2nd serve points won (14/33) 42%
- Aces 5, Service Winners 1
- Double Faults 2
- Unreturned Serve Percentage (15/68) 22%

Serve Pattern
Djokovic served...
- to FH 51%
- to BH 43%
- to Body 6%

Dimitrov served...
- to FH 41%
- to BH 53%
- to Body 6%

Return Stats
Djokovic made...
- 51 (16 FH, 35 BH)
- 1 Winner (1 BH)
- 9 Errors, comprising...
- 5 Unforced (2 FH, 3 BH)
- 4 Forced (4 FH)
- Return Rate (51/66) 77%

Dimitrov made...
- 25 (17 FH, 8 BH), including 1 runaround FH
- 16 Errors, comprising...
- 7 Unforced (2 FH, 5 BH), including 1 runaround FH
- 9 Forced (6 FH, 3 BH)
- Return Rate (25/47) 53%

Break Points
Djokovic 3/4 (4 games)
Dimitrov 0

Winners (including returns, excluding aces)
Djokovic 8 (2 FH, 4 BH, 2 BHV)
Dimitrov 9 (6 FH, 1 FHV, 1 BHV, 1 OH)

Djokovic's FHs - 1 inside-out at net, 1 inside-in
- BHs - 3 dtl (1 pass, 1 at net), 1 inside-out return

Dimitrov's FHs - 4 cc, 1 inside-in/cc, 1 longline

- 1 from a serve-volley point, a second volley BHV

Errors (excluding returns and serves)
Djokovic 25
- 16 Unforced (7 FH, 9 BH)
- 9 Forced (2 FH, 7 BH)
Unforced Error Forcefulness Index 44.3

Dimitrov 34
- 32 Unforced (17 FH, 15 BH)
- 2 Forced (1 FH, 1 BH)
Unforced Error Forcefulness Index 43.4

(Note 1: all half-volleys refer to such shots played at net. Half -volleys played from other parts of the court are included within relevant groundstroke counts)

(Note 2: the Unforced Error Forcefulness Index is an indicator of how aggressive the average UE was. The numbers presented are keyed on 4 categories - 20 defensive, 40 neutral, 50 attacking and 60 winner attempt)

Net Points & Serve-Volley
Djokovic was...
- 5/5 (100%) at net, including...
- 1/1 serve-volleying, a 1st serve

Dimitrov was...
- 7/8 (88%) at net, including...
- 1/1 serve-volleying, a 1st serve
---
- 1/1 forced back

Match Report
Third gear Djokovic eases past a not up to standard Dimitrov on a quick-ish, low bouncing court. Particularly on the return but also off the ground, Dimitrov is simply, not good enough

Return rate of 53%. And 32 UEs in play
Djokovic has 77% and 16

The return rate is just what it looks like - atrocious. The UEs aren’t as bad as it looks, though plenty bad

Court is skiddy and quick. Djokovic serves fairly well. Not 46% unreturned serves well (the converse of Dimi’s return rate)
Dimi almost literally misses every, not easy return (‘not easy’, as opposed to ‘hard’). And bunch of routines, And a couple of easys

He’s got 7 UEs and 9 FEs on the return, and is aced 6 times. BHs particularly poor. He’s got as many errors as successful returns at 8 apiece (9, counting each, counting runaround FHs). Small mercy Djoko serves there just 43% of the time

As for the 32 UEs, to put in perspective -
- unreturned serves - Djoko 22, Dimi 15
- winners - Djoko 8, Dimi 9
- FEs - Djoko 9, Dimi 2

All that with low UEFI of 43.4. 21/32 of his UEs are neutral shots. Djoko has 11. In plain words, he can’t keep the ball in play, his errors aren’t a product of unsuccessful attacks

Why isn’t it as bad as it looks?

He’s only out-and-out sloppy in middle of second set. First set, he’s not out of the match. Lot of neutral rallies, close to 50-50 outcome in terms of who coughs up the error. As freebie figures indicate, majority are on Dimi’s serve, so he’s getting shorter end of stick, but at least he looks like he belongs on the same court as his opponent

Rallies aren’t short - on the whole, and particularly in the first set. Dimi slices most BHs and ball stays very low. Doesn’t bother Djoko, who alternatively hits his usual drive/top spin BH or slices back in kind

He gets a bit rattled in middle of second set, especially after going down a break, and then gets bona fida sloppy. Starts driving BHs more, and gives up the UEs more quickly

Its not hard hitting tennis. With low bounce, both players keep their power in check and ease or top spin the ball over the net. And all the slicing. Just who-blinks-first stuff. Djoko’s no wall (his being one would be one possible reason for Dimi’s figures), Dimi’s no error-machine… its decent, if not inspired tennis. Not hard hitting, but not soft either - clinically easy is good description

With freebie cushion, 50-50 who-blinks-first rallies favour Djoko on the whole, of course

Second set, Djoko doesn’t turn into a wall but Dimi does turn into an error machine in second half of a short set. He’s also more aggressive at that time, and gets off a few good FHs. FH has match high 6 winners - 2 less than Djoko’s total

And Djokovic? The converse of Dimi. Serves fairly well. I’d estimate his serve showing to be good for 25-35% freebies against standard-to-good returning. 67% in count is very good. Good lot of in-swing zone first serves (which usually draws error)

Does what Dimi can’t on the return and returns a few tough serves. Dimi only serves at 51%, which is another blackmark against him but his serve is a little stronger (pacier and wider placed) than Djoko’s. They have to be - Djoko’s not one to regularly miss regulation returns

Unlike Dimi, Djoko does make a few tough returns (1 reason for Dimi having more winners). Nothing to write home about, but a beacon next to Dimi’s inept showing

Rallies along neutral, doesn’t try to force the pace, un-flustered by good, low slices
‘Not being a wall’ is no blackmark as long as Dimi’s keeping up his end in neutral rallies. His movements are average, is a significant step down

8 winners, forcing 2 errors… and Dimi with 32 UEs is a strange breakdown of points won. An example of Djoko’s general mentality. If his opponent is doing Djoko’s job, he’s happy to sit back and let him. Doesn’t even hurry him along. Few longline change-ups, nothing out of ordinary of depth or angles

No break points faced by Djoko and a perfect 5/5 at net. Dimi for that matter is 7/8 in forecourt

Lovely, on the ball Chair umpire, who makes calls and overrules and clearly has his eyes open. Watching other Chair’s wearing sunglasses, one wonders what exactly they’re paid for, other than calling out the score. 1 of many calls he makes is a Djoko return just long, that Djoko challenges. Ball was indeed out, and Djoko gives him a genuinely appreciative gesture. He calls balls out just before the lines people do a number of times
 

Waspsting

Hall of Fame
Match Progression
Bland first set of freebies and who-blinks-first rallies. Dimi serves at lower percentage and makes fewer returns, so bulk of rallies are on his service games. Rallies are even in terms of who ends up winning them, so prospects of breaking are in Djoko’s favour

Lot of slicing by Dimi. Djoko’s content to slice back when he must, though preferring neutral drives. Good slices from both players, clinging to the ground

Djoko holds to love with 4 unreturned serves for 3-3. An ace and 3 return errors - all marked UEs, despite 2 being first serves. Regulation, in swing zone stuff that Dimi misses

Then grabs the break. Djoko breaks with mode by dispatching a FH inside-in winner from a normal position (that is, not to a weak ball) to even at 15-15 after a Dimi ace. Rest is Dimi UEs - an attacking FH, a FH blink amidst a normal cc rally and the worst for last - missing a sweeping BH cc from well up the court to a forced weak return

He’s tasked to hold next time too, but freebies and good serves see him home. Takes Djoko to deuce on the serve out in a slicey game, ending with pair of slice errors from Dimi

Djoko breaks to go up 3-2 in second set. Its at end of this game that Dimi moves from getting slightly short end of blink rate stick to outright sloppy. Misses a pair of FH dtl winner attempts when up A-40, the second of them a third ball shot, and is broken missing a third ball, neutral line BH. 3 UEs in 3 shots (without putting any in play in between)

Dimi’s play becomes more rattled, over-eager after that (as opposed to patient and measured, if not good). For first time in match, drives BHs. He’s in trouble next service game too, one of the livlier ones of the match. Nice stretch second volley BHV winner serve-volleying from Dimi, a rare error forcing return to baseline by Djoko, a good wide FH inside-out winning shot by Dimi in successive points before a pair of FH UEs (1 on the move, not too easy) from Djoko ends it

Djoko does come out aggressive in what turns out to be final game. Whacks a BH dtl winner first point, misses a corresponding FH next point. Dimi responds with an ace and a double fault to keep things even at 30-30. BH inside-out return winner from Djoko brings up break/match point on which Dimi slightly mishits, wafts a BH wide

Summing up, simple and forgettable match with Dimitrov not being up to standard. Isn’t up to returning anywhere near well enough against a good but far from overwhelming serve and loose off the ground

From Djokovic, job done as needed - good enough serving, getting a few tough serves back and otherwise returning without leaving server much advantage, though rarely making one for himself with the second shot

Court action is bland, who-blink-first rallies and balance of it varies from Djokovic having slightly better of it to Dimitrov getting sloppy and having much worse of it. Dimitrov slicing most of the time makes for variety and those slicey rallies are good probing ones and a test of technique in handling low balls, which both players pass

Good enough from Djokovic, and looks more like Dimitrov not being up to standard in general than his having played particularly badly
 
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