These are techniques that have helped me throughout my career. If not for COVID 2020, Novak Djokovic would have won at least seven Wimbledon titles by now. "Roland Garros is the most open it has been in the last 10-15 years. Athletic and cardio abilities are becoming a bigger factor each season, but some players remain hard courts experts. Add to that his 24 hard court masters and 5 WTF and it becomes clear that hard court is Djokovic's best surface. Hard courts are cost-efficient as they are cheaper to build and require close to no maintenance. Several big servers and attacking players make the top 10, with John Isner at No. Within hours of the defeat, the Serb had turned his attention to the next task at hand -- beating his arch-rival Rafael Nadal on clay. I dont know what their decision is going to be. It was a terrible feeling, I have to be honest. Novak Djokovic has had his say with Rafael Nadal 's 18-year streak inside the world's top 10 set to come to an end. 7, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga at No. Andy Murray only wins 60 percent on his. I knew I had to have started the match well today, because they are a dangerous opponent. The match between. The former World No 1 believes that it only takes coming up against a player serving well to see a player forced into winning tiebreaks to stay in a match. "There are a lot of great athletes, but I would need to say, Novak (when asked to name the best mover . In their 59 previous meetings, they have played 27 matches on hard courts, with Djokovic winning 207, 28 on clay, and Nadal winning 208, with the last four coming on grass, where they are both tied 2-2 The grand slams are an international tennis tournament. Speaking at his press conference after the 4-6, 4-6 loss, the 22-time Grand Slam champion revealed his plans for the coming days, stating that he was still waiting to hear whether he would be able to play in the upcoming Sunshine Double in the United States. His overall record on grass is very impressive, and he is definitely one of the best players in the world on this surface. Grass courts. He'll have 5 Slams on grass which will still be only half of his 10 hardcourt Slams albeit he has more opportunities to win those of course. The Spanish player has won an outstanding number of titles on this surface, including 11 French Open, and reached an incredible streak of 81 consecutive wins on clay. Many professional players use this time to prepare and practice for the competition. Grass is djoko's worst surface. According to the Wimbledon runner-up, Djokovic is also the best mover across all surfaces. However, many experts believe that Djokovic plays best on faster courts such as hard courts and indoor courts. According to Slovak professional tennis coach and former player Marian Vajda, Novak Djokovic should be able to win the 2022 Wimbledon Championships considering his prowess on grass courts. Maybe his performance in the first round was not that great, but he improves his tennis as matches go by." Relative to the field he definitely is better on grass than HC these days. Many players have come and gone in the sport of tennis, but it seems some legends' records will never be beaten. Not just that, but he was also an immaculate athlete on the indoor courts. This list comprises the most dominant players on every surface and is largely based on the FedEx Reliability Zone. If he played more Queens-halle he would loose there quite a few times, clay would be a better surface for him. My performance was really satisfying. According to him, Novak Djokovic has the potential to win the 2022 Wimbledon title. After going 7-0 at this year's Wimbledon, Novak's grass court record is now (slightly) better than this hard court record. "As predicted, Novak Djokovic is really looking good. Overall, Federer has more Grand Slam titles than Djokovic, but the Serb is the clear favorite to win the ATP World Tour Finals. He has. He has a very strong serve and can hit winners from anywhere on the court. One may wonder, why is that exactly? Novak Djokovic might be the only player in the Open Era to be in the top 5 list of players on every surface (hardcourt, grass, clay); he has redefined what it means to be versatile. How To Choose The Right Tennis Racquet Length, The Importance Of Keeping Your Tennis Shoes In Good Condition. Check here, Be the first one to comment on this story. Roger Federer is regarded as one of the all-time greatest grass court players, and many tennis analysts consider grass to be his best surface. With his biggest priority of the year - winning the Australian Open - out of the way, the World No. 2011-2020: best winning % on grassDjokovic 90.14Federer 87.50Murray 87.01Cilic 75.00Isner 72.31Raonic 70.00Lopez 69.33Tsonga 68.97Nishikori 68.52Mahut 65.63Min 50 matches. Medvedev describes grass as the toughest surface to play on. His 11 titles in Roland Garros and 57 titles on clay courts are an all-time record. Thanasi is a good guy and we have a great relationship. Murray - whose worst surface is clay I mean, when the biggest contenders at the French Open have clay as their worst surface, that says everything. What is the foot injury that has troubled Rafael Nadal over the years? Camila Giorgi enchants Instagram with a cowgirl outfit! Recently, a fan shared a video of her and 20-time Grand Slam champion training together. He is also no slouch on hard courts, in addition to Federer. Tennis beauty Maria Sharapova looks stunning in a bathrobe! The Italian has faced Novak three times this year, being defeated respectively at Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open. Daniil Medvedev handed Novak Djokovic his first defeat of the year and Andrey Rublev claimed his first win over Alexander Zverev. This is because Djokovic is an extremely quick and agile player, and he is able to take advantage of the pace of the ball on these types of courts. 1. For reprint rights: Times Syndication Service. Last year, he defeated Nadal in the finals by attacking his serve games. He is now as good as Federers in terms of his Wimbledon credentials because he has a consistent record there and is also more consistent on the court. Thats a 14Mph difference for a strong forehand. Roger Federer doesn't figure in the top 10 of this list, since the cut-off used for it was a minimum of 100 matches played on the surface during the period. Grass, Clay, Carpet, and Hard courts (seriously guys, we just covered this). losing early in the championship, but it was also wonderful to see 'Stan the Man,' Stanislas Wawrinka make it to the quarters! In connection with his performance on the same surface of this competition, Djokovic has a composed 240-32 record in the last years on hard. In both of those finals Medvedev went down to heavy-hitters in Tim van Rijthoven and Hubert Hurkacz. If not, the Serb will turn his attention to the Monte-Carlo Masters, at which point he admitted that he will take some time off to prepare for the clay swing. It is only three victories behind Novak Djokovic, who holds the record for most wins on the surface by a female. "I always support him [Novak Djokovic] and I want him to win Wimbledon," Vajda said. The Serb has won 27 Grand Slams on hard courts and 11 on clay, making him the only player in history to complete the Career Golden Masters by winning all nine of them. A hard court is played differently than a quick grass court because it is faster and plays a much different game. Im just going to wait for it and hopefully, I can play Wimbledon this year and show some great results.. Furthermore, he is catching up to two other grass court greats, Mats Wilander and Ivan Lendl. expressed his dismay by the defeat of youngsters at the Australian Open but was more than happy to see Stanislas Wawrinka reaching the quarterfinals. If you want to be successful on clay courts, patience and a strategic mind will go a long way in terms of game. First of all, clay courts are the most sensitive to spins and the slowest of all. Neither fast nor slow, this intermediary surface presents very few disadvantages. Novak Djokovic leads early favourites for the French Open. Despite winning five Grand Slam titles in total, Novak Djokovic has yet to reach the French Open final. Murray has die hard fans? Earlier in the season, he won the Adelaide 1 and Australian Open titles. Noleis able to crack the ball better in the hard-court tournaments, and his career win-loss record in them is staggering. What Is The Optimal Weight For A Tennis Racket? Bjorn Borg was similar to Nadalhe was quick, knew how to get out of tough situations and did not miss balls. It would be best to learn how to build your points and avoid unforced errors at all costs. Grass Courts (minimum 5 matches) Acrylic-topped, this surface offers the most consistent ball bounce of all the outdoor tennis courts. Novak Djokovic was a flawless 18-0 in January and February, going 6-0 during Serbia's triumph at the inaugural ATP Cup, 7-0 en route to his 17th Grand Slam title at the Australian Open and 5-0 . Flying below radar has served. ", was stretched to four sets for the first time in the tournament against explosive Australian, "The tennis has been of the highest quality and the atmosphere too has been unreal. I tried to follow my tactics and do what I had to do to win. I think he has a good draw. The French Open has been dominated by such players, especially in the open era. Novak Djokovic holds the all-time Masters record with 38 titles, while Nadal is second with 36. Their head-to-head record was 730 when Nadal retired from the French Open in 2016, citing a left wrist injury. Novak started playing the game on clay as a child. This surface consists of a rubber court cover and is essentially used for practice. ", Novak Djokovic passes Rafael Nadal, matches Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal admits: 'I had a major breakdown', Stefanos Tsitsipas shocked by the train tragedy in Greece, Miami TD James Blake compares 'incredible story' Emma Raducanu to Maria Sharapova, ATP Dubai: Novak Djokovic falls to Daniil Medvedev and suffers first loss, Novak Djokovic on 2019 Wimbledon final: Statistically, Roger Federer was better, Maria Sharapova on how to build strong brand: Be smart with people you align with, Rafael Nadal: 'I'm doing my best, but we need patience'. Djokovic, one of the most high-profile athletes unvaccinated against Covid-19, said he is still waiting for an outcome having applied for special permission to enter the United States, where. You need a good combination of athletic abilities, tennis IQ, and skills. Becker picked defending champion Novak Djokovic as the man to beat at the Australian Open. Found mostly in Europe and South-America, clay tennis courts are the dream surface for baseline players. 04 Mar 2023 11:08AM (Updated: 04 Mar 2023 11:08AM) Novak Djokovic suffered his first loss of the season in Friday's semi-final defeat to Daniil Medvedev at the Dubai Tennis Championships but he . Federer mentioned it last week how the rallies are longer on grass now than on hard courts. When probed if that was what the Serb meant as the next challenge, beating Nadal on clay, the 22-time Grand Slam champion made it sound like it was, adding that he has not written off the possibility. It only lasts 4 weeks with Wimbledon as the main event. 2011 to 2020. This season on grass, Novak Djokovic has won eight titles, seven at Wimbledon and one at Eastbourne. Nadal is a great hard court player, but his success on clay makes him the clear favorite in that format. In fact, he has also done considerably better in the hard-court Masters Series tournaments than the clay ones. The Italian began by suggesting that "being in the spotlight" is not something you can avoid as a tennis player. Each member of the "Big Four" today is an all-round player, but Djokovic is especially good on the hard courts. Though he did not have outright weapons, per se, he could break anybody down and won so many matches on clay by being clever and skillful. "Finally, I hope Ash Barty does well because it would be great for the game to have a top seed on the women's side winning a Grand Slam.Add to that the fact that Australia has had a terrible summer, thanks to the bushfires," Becker signed off. 95-18 on grass (84.07%) 552-105 on hard court (84.02%) It feels like we've always said hard court is Novak's best surface, but is it time for us to rethink that? 60 of the Spaniard's 86 career titles have come on dirt, and a majority of those 60 have come in the 2011-2020 decade. Together, they utterly dominated for several years. Murray and Tommy Haas have a winning record against Joker on grass. There is no excuse for Nadal is just too overwhelming. If he played more Queens-halle, he would loose there on a regular basis, but clay is his preferred surface. Despite Nadals overall dominance, Djokovic leads the field on clay (.727 to Nadals.560), winning more titles (.727 to Nadals.560). So thats where grass is a little bit tough for me, like for example, I lost to [Tim] Van Rijthoven in the [s-Hertogenbosch] final last year and before the final I was feeling great, playing great, and he was having a good day, hitting bombs, after the match, I was like, okay, one hour, he just hit winners all over the place and I lost. Medvedev is amazed at the way that Djokovic always seems to find a way to earn a break even against the biggest and best serves in the game. Many players do get injured playing on hard courts. 6, Feliciano Lopez at No. Carpet courts are great for fast-paced training, but they can be quite dangerous for your joints. In terms of grass, he is excellent. Copyright 2023 Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. All rights reserved. The former World No 1 believes that it only takes coming up against a player serving well to see a player forced into winning tiebreaks to stay in a match. Nadal 2. Our relationship is still very good. You must log in or register to reply here. We mortals can only shrug our shoulders. Anyone who has watched both of them on grass knows Fed is the superior squad. The Polish #1 is one of the best in the world on this surface and he has looked the part this week, defeating Pavel Kotov 7-6, 6-1 in his opening match. If he can keep up this level of play, he will be the only man to defeat Nadal in all four major tennis tournaments. In this article, I will try to tackle every concern and question you may have about the subject. In most cases, GOAT debates are devoid of substance. A few years ago, as a child, I was dreaming of winning Wimbledon, so like every child, you dream of doing something crazy when you actually achieve it if you do and that was one of the things you did. In fact, Djokovic has won Wimbledon twice and he is the reigning Wimbledon champion. Kevin was introduced to tennis by his father at the age of 3. Price: Clay courts are cheaper to construct. Novak Djokovic is determined to become the greatest player of all time on grass. Currently ranked at No 8, Nadal will exit the top 10 on March 20 for the first. Serb Novak Djokovic holds a winning percentage of 87.4% on clay courts, making him the best player in the world. The Ball Must Bounce Within The Confines Of The Court To Be Considered In, The Perfect String Tension For Your Tennis Game, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga: A French Professional Tennis Player, How To Wear Tennis Shoes With A Button Shirt, How To Feed Your Tennis Ball-loving YouTube Addiction. I wouldn't say grass is Djokovic's best surface, but he's playing in a time where it almost enhances his play style and together with the way he improved his serve after 2010, plus some clutch performances, he has been very successful indeed. Despite his impressive track record on grass courts, the Swiss star has an 87.4% winning percentage, but Novak Djokovic has more experience on this surface. What adjustments to your game do you need to make? Taylor Fritz has the game to win Wimbledon. As one of the favorites for this years Wimbledon, Medvedev ranked Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer among the best grass players of his generation. You have made a lot of enemies in this forum of people who are neutral about Djokovic, even mildly supportive, but who just hate your trolling. Meaningless stat. He has been playing flawless tennis and looks very very unbeatable on his favourite surface. On hard courts, where he has been the more dominant player in the last few years, he has a winning percentage of 77%. That's what we can call good answer, real arguments about topic You must be Novak's fan, eventually Murray's? The Swiss is one of the all-time great attacking players and can do virtually anything on the court. 15-0 on hard in 2023. This surface favors offensive players with big serves and a strong net game. Novak Djokovic has finally given some positive news regarding his participation in the ATP tour. "As predicted, Novak Djokovic is really looking good. In the end, it all comes down to personal preferences, but clay is often regarded as the best surface. This is likely due to the fact that Federer has never won a Grand Slam on clay in over a decade. What's wrong with some people who only feel the need to throw petty sarcasm and act immature rather than simply answering the question. Federer is regarded as one of the greatest grass court players of all time, and many tennis analysts consider grass to be his best surface. Carpet courts are mainly found indoors. But he has also won major titles on all the surfaces and even an Olympic Gold in Bejing 2008. With the new rules we have less time. The stats reveal that Novak Djokovic had the best wining percentage on grass, even better than Roger Federer, who has an Open Era record 19 grasscourt titles. "From the German corner, I am delighted that Alexander Zverev has made the quarters. Fed, who was in his mid 30s when he won his first title at the age of 17, didnt get past the second round until he was 33. In 28 of their 59 matches on clay, he has won 28, while only two have been on hard courts. Roger Federer's hard-court and grass-court career records stand by the top of the indices. Who has won more, Roger Federer 11 or Daniele Lindley 9? Federer and Sampras will have a better resume than him on grass, unless he wins 4 extra Wimbledon titles. Djokovic has won four Wimbledon titles and has reached the final six times, including five consecutive years from 2014 to 2018. READ MORE: Novak Djokovic leads early favourites for the French Open. Djokovic described Medvedev on Thursday as a player whose "quality is as tough as it gets" on hard courts - 16 of his 17 titles have come on that surface - and the Russian acknowledges he . The main one resides in the fact that its a very demanding surface for players articulations. Djokovic is also good on grass because of his speed, agility, and power. If both Nadal and Djokovic reach the final, the Spaniard will be viewed as a favorite to win. Borg has been present at many of Nadal's French Open successes and is surely thankful that they did not compete during the same time period. Andy Murray comes in at No. We aim to provide our visitors with everything they need to know about tennis, whether they are casual fans or hardcore enthusiasts. He did, however, lose on hard courts, but he retains the number one ranking on both surfaces. Despite winning five Grand Slam titles, including four on hard courts and one on grass, he has never advanced past the semifinals in Paris. Medvedev describes grass as the toughest surface to play on. The international tennis federation (IFT) regulates and classifies these different tennis court surfaces by their theoretical speed. Despite being born on clay, the Serbs four Grand Slam victories are significantly better on hard courts than on clay. Playing on grass courts is quite rare for amateur players, however, if you have an upcoming tournament on this surface, try to get as much practice on this surface beforehand. After winning the Rome Masters, Novak Djokovic will now head to Madrid to begin preparing for the French Open. He has won nine of his last 11 major titles on the surface, and he has never been defeated on a clay court in a final. Fewer injuries: Lowest impact on the body. Copyright 2020 All Rights Reserved. Thats where tennis was born and initially played. Almost never used on the professional circuit, carpet courts are made of artificial turf mixed with sand. At Wimbledon, the pair will almost certainly meet again. Federer - whose worst surface is clay 4. He has won three consecutive Wimbledon titles, the last of which was in 2011. Novak is always a favorite because he is so well-liked. Now, the four-time Wimbledon champ is threatening Roger Federer's claim as the world's best player on the surface. And with his sometimes funky-looking strokes (that could be error-prone at times), it makes sense that the indoor environments suited him better throughout his career. And perhaps the most surprising stat is that Roger Federer didn't have the best winning percentage on grasscourts during this period. Djokovic was seen hitting some shots and having some laughs with the fan in Belgrade. Despite his dominance on hard courts (83.3%), the Serb has a greater understanding of this surface, which gives him an advantage. Lets dig into the characteristics of this surface. Ash Barty stormed into her maiden Australian Open semi-final with an emphatic 7-6(6) 6-2 win over Petra Kvitova that avenged her defeat to the hard-hitting Czech in last year's quarter-final at Melbourne Park. That's just my confidence, that's just what I bring to the table.". His play on grass is excellent. "Incredible mover on all the surfaces." Improving: The best surface to improve as a tennis player. Twenty-one-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic defeated Marin Cilic in the final of Tel Aviv today, 6-3, 6-4, which not only gave him the 89th ATP title of his career, but also made him the . June 17, 2022 kogan robot vacuum mapping kogan robot vacuum mapping He did not have a great end to 2019, so it is particularly satisfying that he has flown below the radar and kept his cool," Becker wrote. Overall, he is fine, this is the best surface for him. Grass: Federer, Djokovic, Nadal Once again, the player at the top of this surface is clear; Federer's seven Wimbledon titles make it pretty obvious that he is the best grass-courter right now. Ons Jabeur stands with migrants in their struggle. Tennis expert Enrico Maria Riva has compiled a list of the most significant tennis stats from the decade that has just gone by, i.e. One of the many advantages to building clay courts is that its an eco-friendly surface. Novak Djokovic is one of the best tennis players in the world and he is especially dominant on grass courts. Novak Djokovic, who has won 60 of his 81 career titles on hardcourts, had an 88.38% winning percentage on the surface during the 10-year time-frame, followed by Federer and then Nadal. To become a complete tennis player, you need to master each tennis court surfaces this beautiful game can be played on. Novak Djokovic is a natural on hard courts, where he has quick reactions and an agility that helps him win. Despite notching another win on clay, Nadal is still the top-ranked player on both surfaces. Terms of Use and Grievance Redressal Policy. The slower the hard court the better, as he has won a multitude of ATP1000 titles. How could anyone root for that guy. "It is strange, obviously." :lol: The best claycourters around are: 1. On indoor hardcourts, Roger Federer is in pole position with an 83.50% winning percentage record. Novak Djokovics dominance on clay has been the defining feature of his career. The clay season brings with it its own challenges, the formemost of which is Rafael Nadal. I like grass but its a very tough surface, its a little bit tougher than hard courts, and thats where I think Novak is amazing winning so many grass-court tournaments, he told Eurosport. Think it says he is amazing on all of them. The Serb had a 90.14% record on the surface as compared to the Swiss' 87.50% during the 2011-2020 period. In addition to his three Australian Open titles and two French Open titles, Federer has a total of ten US Open titles. Watch more top videos, highlights, and B/R original content, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. He is only ahead of Roger Federer (%27192922) in victories, with 84.48%. Novak Djokovic comes in at No. Can you imagine the difference it would make on a 150Mph John Isner serve? He went on to explain how it is a little custom, saying in 2018 that it is a tradition. Kevin now writes for several tennis related blogs and magazines. Berrettini believes that while some struggle under media scrutiny, others thrive on it. For you to understand how important a tennis court surface can be, grass courts are the perfect example. Players such as Ivan Lendl, Rod Laver and Guillermo Vilas appear near the top of the index for so many surfaces but are not definitively the greatest, or most dominant, compared to a couple other players. High maintenance: Requires a lot of brushing, watering, and rolling. Is it better to play in clay or grass? Physical stamina and resistance coupled with a good service can go a long way there, so make sure you adapt your practice sessions accordingly. I try to take advantage of that time to hydrate myself, dry my sweat and breathe. In terms of clay, Novak Djokovic is the best on the circuit, compared to the likes of Nadal, Federer, or Murray at Wimbledon. Durability: The longest-lasting of the tennis court surfaces. Despite Nadal and Federers combined 128-19 record on hard courts, its worth noting that Djokovic has won on all surfaces if he plays well. Furthermore, goats will eat all grass, and some here believe they have a right to claim it as their own. The way he plays and attacks is similar toSampras at Wimbledon and Andre Agassi at the U.S. Open (though he has won just as many, if not more, titles than they respectively did). Federer has accumulated more than 10 Slams on the quick courts and is clearly more dominant on this surface. Growing up, Novak Djokovic never played on grass courts. Rafael Nadals nearly 18-year streak in the top ten is ending. There are however some tournaments still being held on carpet courts such as the. He has more weapons to defeat Nadal at Wimbledon than he did at the French Open. This rivalry is as close as it gets between these two teams. These two are the top-ranked tennis. Overall, he is fine, this is the best surface for him. "Some players like the hype and pressure and perform better with it, whereas others prefer to go under the radar more." "For me, media and being in the spotlight are something that comes with the career choice," Berrettini said. He also has a very impressive record at the All England Club. "It always takes something extra to win a point against those two. While the Spaniard is yet to hit his stride this season, he has been a beast on clay for almost two decades, winning the French Open a record 14 times -- 12 times more than Djokovic. Is Novak Djokovic the best clay court player ever? The declined state of tour and ability on grass has helped Novak win 3 wimbledons I will admit. He also did not have the best fitness regime, so he tried to get the points over as quickly as possible. 2011-2020 best winning % indoorFederer 83.50Djokovic 82.50del Potro 79.27Murray 76.56Nadal 75.47Nishikori 72.04Tsonga 71.01Medvedev 70.00Berdych 68.27Monfils 67.59Min 50 matches, How did Novak Djokovic meet Jelena Ristic? He goes against the grain, and he does so in a completely different way than most grass players. Maybe Querrey and Istomin could debate this topic in a bar. All about the most admired couples in tennis, Be the first one to comment on this story. Low bounce, high speed in a nutshell. Only thing standing in his way, and a couple others, is clay thanks to Rafa. Nadal is not the only player that will be remembered for being dominant on clay (see the next slide), but he is certainly the greatest ever player on that surface. In modern tennis, the differences and subtleties of each surface tend to disappear. Vajda said. What Is The Optimal Weight For A Tennis Racket? Since the year 2000, I have made the semi-finals of Wimbledon 11 times. You see, if a ball travels at 100Mph before it hits the ground, a bounce on a clay surface will reduce its speed to 78Mph. In addition to 19 titles on grass at Halle, eight at Wimbledon, and one at Stuttgart, he has won nine on grass at other events.