Ganstaz003
Rookie
Djokovic yet again, massively exposed Rafael Nadal's stiff and robotic style of play. It may not seem like much, but at the highest level between two of the very greatest, it makes a massive difference, especially in vital moments. I've been saying this for a very long-time but I don't recall anybody actually mentioning this as a factor in their rivalry.
I'd like to see Nadal hitting defensive shots on the stretch like these:
Or even some back-hand winners he played yesterday on the stretch. Nadal could only dream about playing such shots.
Whilst Nadal has to brute-force his way out of tough defensive spots to get into an advantageous position, Djokovic can slide his away effortlessly out of trouble and more effortlessly turn defense to offense. More often than not, Djokovic will win such points as a result.
And Djokovic is capable of taking the game out of Rafa's hand, even when both are at their best, due to Novak's returning skills. The consistent depth and angles he can get in his returns means Nadal simply can't dominate rallies from his serve, like he can to weak returners. Djokovic's ability to stretch for balls, be it when returning serve or during a rally and being able to neutralize Nadal's attack by doing so, means Nadal simply can't dominate Djokovic. This is a massive advantage in Djokovic's favor.
But on top of his flexibility being a nuisance for Nadal directly in their head to head, his more flexible body and looser limbs will also likely give him more longevity. Loose and flexible limbs are more injury resistance ./ less prone to injury based on science. So while the less flexible Nadal is going to be injured, at the same age, Djokovic is less likely to. This means Djokovic has more time to win more grand-slams.
Nadal's muscular physique may look sexier and more appealing at first glance, especially to the casual fan-girls and fanboys, in reality, Djokovic's physique is actually more suitable and compatible for a sport like tennis. I think this will be proven in the coming years!
Djokovic has taken the standard away from Nadal and is now going to be the new bar to which all other players will have to reach and surpass. The days of being a brute-force player with muscular physique like Nadal dominating may come to and end and we may instead be seeing leaner and more flexible players in the coming future.
The difference between Djokovic and other flexible players (whom already exist by the way) is that Djokovic is not only flexible, but can apply his flexibility to tennis shots in a way no other player can. And this is going to be one of the new standards / bars / benchmarks.
I'd like to see Nadal hitting defensive shots on the stretch like these:
Or even some back-hand winners he played yesterday on the stretch. Nadal could only dream about playing such shots.
Whilst Nadal has to brute-force his way out of tough defensive spots to get into an advantageous position, Djokovic can slide his away effortlessly out of trouble and more effortlessly turn defense to offense. More often than not, Djokovic will win such points as a result.
And Djokovic is capable of taking the game out of Rafa's hand, even when both are at their best, due to Novak's returning skills. The consistent depth and angles he can get in his returns means Nadal simply can't dominate rallies from his serve, like he can to weak returners. Djokovic's ability to stretch for balls, be it when returning serve or during a rally and being able to neutralize Nadal's attack by doing so, means Nadal simply can't dominate Djokovic. This is a massive advantage in Djokovic's favor.
But on top of his flexibility being a nuisance for Nadal directly in their head to head, his more flexible body and looser limbs will also likely give him more longevity. Loose and flexible limbs are more injury resistance ./ less prone to injury based on science. So while the less flexible Nadal is going to be injured, at the same age, Djokovic is less likely to. This means Djokovic has more time to win more grand-slams.
Nadal's muscular physique may look sexier and more appealing at first glance, especially to the casual fan-girls and fanboys, in reality, Djokovic's physique is actually more suitable and compatible for a sport like tennis. I think this will be proven in the coming years!
Djokovic has taken the standard away from Nadal and is now going to be the new bar to which all other players will have to reach and surpass. The days of being a brute-force player with muscular physique like Nadal dominating may come to and end and we may instead be seeing leaner and more flexible players in the coming future.
The difference between Djokovic and other flexible players (whom already exist by the way) is that Djokovic is not only flexible, but can apply his flexibility to tennis shots in a way no other player can. And this is going to be one of the new standards / bars / benchmarks.
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