Ganstaz003
Rookie
This particular attribute gets overlooked in his rivalry against Fedal, more so against Nadal than Federer, because Federer is very loose and nimble, like a ballerina which aids his longevity due to such an ability causing less damage on the body overtime than if one was less nimble and less loose.
However, Djokovic on the other hand, is not only loose, but is arguably the most flexible player ever with the ability to stretch for balls and the ability to get those balls back in play that no other player in history could, resulting in either direct winners or neutralizing the opponent's attack totally. Even if he is not the most elastic player ever, what can't be disputed is his application. The application of his flexibility to tennis in order to retrieve balls from awkward positions and to dominate rallies is the greatest we've ever seen. This not only means Djokovic is the least likely to have injuries or is likely to have fewer injuries than Fedal, especially as he grows older, it also gives him a weapon that the other two lack, especially against him, which allows Djokovic to dominate them in a way they can't to him and they can't deal with. As a result, don't at all be surprised if Djokovic is still winning more grand-slams than even Roger Federer in his late 30's or even in his 40's. A flexible body is going to breakdown less and suffer fewer injuries or least less damaging injuries than a stiffer body.
Now compare that to Rafael Nadal, who is literally stiff as a rod. He needs to move his entire body in an aggressive fashion to get to balls which Djokovic and Federer could either stretch to, or can get to with ease and less effort by being more nimble. This means greater longevity for both Djokovic and Federer at an older age than Nadal and this also means Djokovic can get to balls by stretching that Nadal can only dream of getting to. Nadal's aggressive, higher impactful movement style is both a strength and a weakness. It allows him to totally dominate opponents short-term but it also means he can never sustain his dominant level for as long as Djokovic or Federer can and have. This is why Federer and Djokovic have longer periods of dominance over the tour compared to Rafael Nadal's more sporadic dominance. This is also probably the reason why an old Nadal has a negative H2H over an old Federer.
This video highlights what Nadal could only dream of doing and what is arguably Djokovic's most underrated advantage over Rafael Nadal in their rivalry:
However, Djokovic on the other hand, is not only loose, but is arguably the most flexible player ever with the ability to stretch for balls and the ability to get those balls back in play that no other player in history could, resulting in either direct winners or neutralizing the opponent's attack totally. Even if he is not the most elastic player ever, what can't be disputed is his application. The application of his flexibility to tennis in order to retrieve balls from awkward positions and to dominate rallies is the greatest we've ever seen. This not only means Djokovic is the least likely to have injuries or is likely to have fewer injuries than Fedal, especially as he grows older, it also gives him a weapon that the other two lack, especially against him, which allows Djokovic to dominate them in a way they can't to him and they can't deal with. As a result, don't at all be surprised if Djokovic is still winning more grand-slams than even Roger Federer in his late 30's or even in his 40's. A flexible body is going to breakdown less and suffer fewer injuries or least less damaging injuries than a stiffer body.
Now compare that to Rafael Nadal, who is literally stiff as a rod. He needs to move his entire body in an aggressive fashion to get to balls which Djokovic and Federer could either stretch to, or can get to with ease and less effort by being more nimble. This means greater longevity for both Djokovic and Federer at an older age than Nadal and this also means Djokovic can get to balls by stretching that Nadal can only dream of getting to. Nadal's aggressive, higher impactful movement style is both a strength and a weakness. It allows him to totally dominate opponents short-term but it also means he can never sustain his dominant level for as long as Djokovic or Federer can and have. This is why Federer and Djokovic have longer periods of dominance over the tour compared to Rafael Nadal's more sporadic dominance. This is also probably the reason why an old Nadal has a negative H2H over an old Federer.
This video highlights what Nadal could only dream of doing and what is arguably Djokovic's most underrated advantage over Rafael Nadal in their rivalry:
