After watching Novak play in Rome I am very encouraged by his mentality and performance. However, in his match today, TC commentators could not stop discussing how Nole looks “detached”. I thought Nole was at least on his way back after Rome (better than after Rome 2017). Wanted to get your guys’ thoughts
these people don't actually pay attention to the matches. they toss out a metric like the significant decrease in his FH and BH speeds on clay (more so the former), but make no mention of the noticeable change in his technique that's resulted in him hitting a slower, flatter ball. instead they try to attribute it to confidence like any lay person who never sees a tennis match outside of the Slams would. they also react with shock and awe to the supposedly anomalous body positioning/balance issues in Novak's game, yet they've been saying the exact same thing for two years. logic would suggest if you're repeating the same thing for 2 years, it's no longer that unusual.
that said, I don't take much of anything from today's win. Dutra Silva is a nothing player who's going to push and grunt on every ball until he's, as per usual, sent packing early. Djokovic didn't look particularly good but I don't expect a player of his caliber, even given his recent form, to expend considerable effort against a Dutra SIlva.
