What Makes Novak Djokovic So Good in Melbourne?

[Aestheticsaboveallelse]

I’m not just talking about who hits with the highest average top end spin and rpm’s on the forehand (although Federer and Nadal are still both above Djokovic in that random ESPN screenshot) I’m talking about variation in spin.

It’s not an area of Djokovic’s game where he has traditionally excelled. For a while now, Melbourne has been a dead, lifeless court surface that takes away variation of spin as a defensive and offensive tool.

Djokovic has a high precision game and the very true Melbourne bounce is something that is crucial to his consistent, attacking, low margin for error style. People who might use spin to disrupt that style have had that strategic tool dulled and somewhat taken away by the surface. Advantage Djokovic.

Very interesting, yea stuff like that is really why AO is so great for him. I didn't know it was so lifeless on the spins too. You want either a super power game like wawrinka to hit by him or a variety game (murray good at that and used to be good vs djokobic) to throw him off.

Although I've always seen Djokovic as opposite of that... a non precision play very high percentage shots always style, to be super consistent and low unforced errors. Federer is the ultimate precision high difficulty lower margin for error shotmaker.

 

[Aestheticsaboveallelse]

I don't get this logic tbh, Wimbledon is the fastest court out there so if one is successful there it would also follow logically that they would have better success on faster hard courts not the slow ones .

He does good everywhere but he's way better at AO

 

[Aestheticsaboveallelse]

I still don't see how Murray has more variation when it comes to spin compared to Djokovic when he hits a flatter ball overall.

Sorry dude, I just don't agree with you here. It was the spin of the Djokovic forehand, particularly that crosscourt short forehand, tailing off the court that hurt Nadal in RG 2021. You ever seen Murray hit his forehand like that? To me, that's why he's the least successful of the 4 on clay where the ball jumps up really high. I never thought he handled those conditions as well as the other 3.

Maybe not spin (all though I feel like Murray mixes up with underspin slice a lot more) but Murray definitely plays a much more varied craftier style than Djokovic who is more of a baseline topspin grinder

 

[NoleFam]

Maybe not spin (all though I feel like Murray mixes up with underspin slice a lot more) but Murray definitely plays a much more varied craftier style than Djokovic who is more of a baseline topspin grinder

Murray had more variety and employed it more in his prime than Djokovic. That I agree with but I see variation in spin as something different.

 

[Subway Tennis]

Very interesting, yea stuff like that is really why AO is so great for him. I didn't know it was so lifeless on the spins too. You want either a super power game like wawrinka to hit by him or a variety game (murray good at that and used to be good vs djokobic) to throw him off.

Although I've always seen Djokovic as opposite of that... a non precision play very high percentage shots always style, to be super consistent and low unforced errors. Federer is the ultimate precision high difficulty lower margin for error shotmaker.

Yes Wawrinka is interesting. He is a statistical outlier in almost every category. He has a battering ram power approach that can work against anyone in heavy conditions and yet he also has tremendous soft touch and flair. Just a marvellous all around playing style (my fourth favourite big 4 era player after Nadal, Fed and Murray).

And yes you’re right. Federer is the absolute ultimate low margin for error player. Stunning how consistent and dominant he was able to be with such a playing style. Very hard to do that, but he got huge benefits from it efficiency-wise in so many short matches where he could just bamboozle people with his variety, disguise and hyper-aggressive playing style.

 

[Frenchy-Player]

Talent, hard work.

 

[leodevlin]

He does good everywhere but he's way better at AO

According to this site , AO is faster than USO:

Tennis Court Surfaces and Court Speeds - Perfect Tennis

What Tennis Court Surfaces and balls do Grand Slams and ATP Tournaments use? How quickly do the surfaces play? Full guide.

www.perfect-tennis.com