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. 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 . Fewer mistakes: Make the judge's job easier thanks to the marks left by the ball. Since then, he's won 6 AO and 3 USO. Novak Djokovics dominance on clay has been the defining feature of his career. 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 . Since the start of the year, Federer has won 11 of 16 clay court matches, including a dominant victory over Stan Wawrinka at the French Open. Novak Djokovics dominance on hard courts is well known, but Roger Federers on clay courts is less well known. It has a very clay-like feel to it. He is the only male player to have won all nine of the Masters tournaments, and has done so twice. Our relationship is still very good. 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. READ MORE: Novak Djokovic leads early favourites for the French Open. Meanwhile, in Australia, they use a material called Plexicushion, which is a bit slower. 8 and Nicolas Mahut at No. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. It was a terrible feeling, I have to be honest. Hard courts are made of concrete, topped with a synthetic and or acrylic layer. 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. He has won three consecutive Wimbledon titles, the last of which was in 2011. What adjustments to your game do you need to make? losing early in the championship, but it was also wonderful to see 'Stan the Man,' Stanislas Wawrinka make it to the quarters! Nadal 2. "There are a lot of great athletes, but I would need to say, Novak (when asked to name the best mover)," added the Italian. Daniil Medvedev insists that he cannot fathom how Novak Djokovic manages to win so many matches on grass. He is followed by Novak Djokovic at 82.50%, while Juan Martin del Potro, Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal round off the top 5. After various speculations, the 34-year-old from Belgrade has announced that he will be at the starting line of the Masters 1000 in Paris-Bercy. He did, however, lose on hard courts, but he retains the number one ranking on both surfaces. "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. Despite losing slightly more points (84.1%) on clay courts than on other surfaces, Roger Federer has an advantage due to his better understanding of the surface. These two are the top-ranked tennis. The lack of unity in terms of proofs makes grass an unreliable medium. Growing up, Novak Djokovic never played on grass courts. He has a very strong serve and can hit winners from anywhere on the court. His seven Wimbledon titles make up half of his all-time major count, and they are representative of his status as an American icon. Novak Djokovic, French Open Winner and Likely the Best Ever Along with Barbora Krejkov, Djokovic was a singles champion in Paris this past weekend. why was carrie's sister dropped from king of queens . If you make a statement that sounds wrong to me, you are stupid. Die-hard Murray fan but nothing against Novak (except when he plays Murray of course). 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 . I try to take advantage of that time to hydrate myself, dry my sweat and breathe. "As predicted, Novak Djokovic is really looking good. The clay season brings with it its own challenges, the formemost of which is Rafael Nadal. In the last decade grass seems to be the best surface to play the baseline game where you can trade shots and be safe. Your login session has expired. World No. Its common knowledge that the tennis court surfaces highly influence the bounce of a tennis ball. How could anyone root for that guy. Tennis quickly became a passion, and he started coaching at the early age of 16. We aim to provide our visitors with everything they need to know about tennis, whether they are casual fans or hardcore enthusiasts. There is no definitive answer to this question as Djokovic has had success on all court surfaces throughout his career. Even though he plays football, he is not particularly skilled at grass. Fewer injuries: Lowest impact on the body. First of all, clay courts are the most sensitive to spins and the slowest of all. Overall, he is fine, this is the best surface for him. As a result, Djokovic has an unfair advantage. On the clay, Nadal has won more, but Federer has still managed to win 8 while Nadal has won only 8. Their head-to-head record was 730 when Nadal retired from the French Open in 2016, citing a left wrist injury. The latter triumph. Flavia Pennetta: "Novak Djokovic is always number 1! 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. He hopes to be able to turn out at Wimbledon this year after being barred from the 2022 event. expressed his dismay by the defeat of youngsters at the Australian Open but was more than happy to see Stanislas Wawrinka reaching the quarterfinals. 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. Djokovic's grass court record is WAY better than his actual grass court game. In an interview with Spanish media outlet Dairio de Mallorca, Medvedev predicted that Novak Djokovic will be regarded as one of the greatest grass-court players of all time. As one of the favorites for this years Wimbledon, Medvedev ranked Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer among the best grass players of his generation. What is the foot injury that has troubled Rafael Nadal over the years? With the new rules we have less time. 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. I felt so bad, Novak [Djokovic] also felt very bad. Federer and Sampras will have a better resume than him on grass, unless he wins 4 extra Wimbledon titles. This surface has seen the birth of absolutely dominant players such as Rafael Nadal, also known as the King of Clay. But his coaching ability may not prove to be so great simply because the way he took to the hard courts and attacked in matches is not entirely teachable. The slower the hard court the better, as he has won a multitude of ATP1000 titles. After going 7-0 at this year's Wimbledon, Novak's grass court record is now (slightly) better than this hard court record. "I would say either Novak Djokovic or Daniil Medvedev (are like a backboard)," Matteo Berrettini said. 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. He has won all of his Grand Slam titles on hard court, and has consistently been a top player on tour on this surface. Grass courts. On the track, of course, we always want to win. Caitlin Thompson joins Joe Molloy to recap Novak Djokovic-Nick Kyrgios and Wimbledon 2022.Have you downloaded the OTB App?- Search for OTB Sports in the Goog. He was an incredible attacking player, beat people with his status and attitude, won many hard-court matches and continued to play well into his older years. I knew I had to have started the match well today, because they are a dangerous opponent. 2011 to 2020. However, Rafael Nadal leads the stat for claycourts in the same time frame, and by a big margin too. He is lucky to win so many over the weak field n slow surface , in 90s and early 20s he would have been smoked, Novak entered his prime in 2011 (as evidenced by his winning 3 slams and 5 masters before somebody says that 'prime' doesn't exist). Djokovic has a fantastic match record in the last 10 years having won 87% of his matches (503-74). There is no clear consensus on whether Novak Djokovic is the best tennis player on grass, but many experts believe he is. This is likely due to the fact that Federer has never won a Grand Slam on clay in over a decade. "For me, media and being in the spotlight are something that comes with the career choice," Berrettini said. "Some players like the hype and pressure and perform better with it, whereas others prefer to go under the radar more." 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. Now we know that grass is a fast surface, and players know how to adjust their game accordingly. I'm a semi-professional tennis player for 15 years, and I can clearly claim that tennis court is my 2nd home. If the grass was as flat as it was in the days of Ivan Lendl, he likely won at least four Wimbledon titles. Tennis beauty Maria Sharapova looks stunning in a bathrobe! The Serb is on a roll in this tournament, and if he wins his first title, he will become the first man in the Open era to win four Grand Slams in a row. Even if he has natural clay court skills, athletics is the physical and mental activity that brings the most physical and mental challenges. From the historical Wimbledon grass to more modern concrete courts to legendary Roland-Garros clay, today we focus on these different tennis court surfaces. Novak Djokovic is an incredibly fast athlete with success on all courts. ", 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'. In fact, he has also done considerably better in the hard-court Masters Series tournaments than the clay ones. One shot is all it takes sometimes to end the point with a winner on the fast surfaces. What Is The Optimal Weight For A Tennis Racket? 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. So whether you're looking to learn more about the sport or just stay up-to-date on the latest news, we've got you covered. Camila Giorgi enchants Instagram with a cowgirl outfit! I dont know what their decision is going to be. 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. 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. In both of those finals Medvedev went down to heavy-hitters in Tim van Rijthoven and Hubert Hurkacz. Copyright 2020 All Rights Reserved. According to Vajda, even though it ached to be in the opposing box, they both still maintain a good relationship both on and off the court. Anyone who has watched both of them on grass knows Fed is the superior squad. 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. He also has a strong record at other grass-court tournaments, such as the Queens Club Championships and the Aegon Championships. Novak started playing the game on clay as a child. Djokovics best surface is undoubtedly hard court. You need a good combination of athletic abilities, tennis IQ, and skills. Since the year 2000, I have made the semi-finals of Wimbledon 11 times. Because you can really just get a guy who is going to serve good this day and you have to win the tie-breaks. 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. He has been playing flawless tennis and looks very very unbeatable on his favourite surface. (Federer has played 96). Sometimes you don't even have a minute. 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. Its non-toxic composition is made of crushed bricks and mineral aggregates. Low bounce, high speed in a nutshell. Novak Djokovic also touched upon the importance of his family during the press conference, hailing them for being by his side through thick and thin. With his biggest priority of the year - winning the Australian Open - out of the way, the World No. This surface is rather fast and quite popular in Asia, they are the closest thing there is to grass and are a good surface to practice on. His statistics are arguably the best of anyone, but it is his mental edge and sheer infallibility at his peak which make him number one. Recently, a fan shared a video of her and 20-time Grand Slam champion training together. 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. Ons Jabeur stands with migrants in their struggle. 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. He has won all of his Grand Slam titles on hard court, and has consistently been a top player on tour on this surface. That's how it is here, unfortunately. This year at Wimbledon, grass courts were only used. Even players who are not particularly talented (such as Nick Kyrgios) dont care about grass, and its the worst surface for them all. He went on to explain how it is a little custom, saying in 2018 that it is a tradition. The two world number ones have met in all four Grand Slam finals in the last four years. This surface favors offensive players with big serves and a strong net game. 6. But even if/when Djokovic wins another Slam on hard, he will only be the greatest in 1 surface out of 3: hard courts. I actually lean towards yes. Between grass and clay in terms of speed, hard courts come in different types. In addition to his three Australian Open titles and two French Open titles, Federer has a total of ten US Open titles. 'Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic went over the edge,' says Patrick Mouratoglou, Novak Djokovic counts to 1250 and moves closer to Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic: Probably no Serbia Open in 2024, Ion Tiriac wants his licence back, ATP Acapulco: Taro Daniel scores first top-10 win despite beating Novak Djokovic, ATP Dubai: Lorenzo Sonego keeps Rafael Nadal in top-10, Dominic Thiem: I'm constantly thinking of a life beyond tennis, Novak Djokovic joins Roger Federer, Pete Sampras on exclusive list. He is only ahead of Roger Federer (%27192922) in victories, with 84.48%. He snuck in a win here and there but still never took #1 or really challenged their dominance. Fewer injuries: Lowest impact on the body. Please logout and login again. Can you guess what the impact would be on grass courts? On indoor hardcourts, Roger Federer is in pole position with an 83.50% winning percentage record. He is also an excellent defender, which allows him to win a lot of long rallies. Despite growing up on clay, it is not surprising that Serb Novak Djokovic is much better on hard courts than on clay in the four Grand Slam tournaments. 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). Djokovic also focused on the work he does during the change: "Every player is different. But he has also won major titles on all the surfaces and even an Olympic Gold in Bejing 2008. Novaks traditional grass court game is very poor. ", 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'. Lew is trying to find some trend using last 6 years data, and than some "cleaver" poster shows up with one year results as prove that he is wrong And he thinks that he is so smart and funny with his low level sarcasm Well, just an average thinking Maestronian No its hard court and always will be. Is it better to play in clay or grass? Durability: The longest-lasting of the tennis court surfaces. The current era, dating back to 2000s, is one of the best baseline periods of modern history. Nadal has won 62 clay court titles, nearly twice as many as Borg had in his lifetime. Can you imagine the difference it would make on a 150Mph John Isner serve? The international tennis federation (IFT) regulates and classifies these different tennis court surfaces by their theoretical speed. "I just saw a little bit of his first round match because we had practice at a similar time. Not surprisingly, it is Rafael Nadal who had the best winning percentage - 90.98% - in this period on clay. This is a list of the main career statistics of Serbian professional tennis player Novak Djokovic.Djokovic has won 93 ATP singles titles, including a joint-record of 22 Grand Slam singles titles (tied with Rafael Nadal), six ATP Finals titles, and a record 38 ATP Masters titles. 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. There are however some tournaments still being held on carpet courts such as the Tournoi de Qubec. Djokovic is also good on grass because of his speed, agility, and power. He does not even need to break his opponents down. But either way, the 85-time tour-level titlist knows he has a chance at joining Laver as the second man in the Open Era to complete the calendar-year Grand Slam in less than two months. He has been playing flawless tennis and looks very very unbeatable on his favourite surface. Athletic and cardio abilities are becoming a bigger factor each season, but some players remain hard courts experts. He never beat Murray, never beat peak or prime Federer, never beat two of the Big-4 in the same tournament, never won Halle or Queens, and at his peak lost to Federer and Murray. "There are a lot of great athletes, but I would need to say, Novak (when asked to name the best mover . 2, with Andy Murray, Dominic Thiem and David Ferrer rounding out the top 5. Novak Djokovic is a natural on hard courts, where he has quick reactions and an agility that helps him win. What Is The Optimal Weight For A Tennis Racket? Points need to be built strategically, its tough to hit a direct winner, and long rallies are quite common. Despite being born on clay, the Serbs four Grand Slam victories are significantly better on hard courts than on clay. Wimbledon titles have been won by the All England Club four times in a row since 2007, setting a new record. Despite his dominance on hard courts (83.3%), the Serb has a greater understanding of this surface, which gives him an advantage. Pre-Wimbledon is the period of time leading up to the start of the Wimbledon tennis tournament. If he played more Queens-halle he would loose there quite a few times, clay would be a better surface for him. Grass that is slow in its growth is not real grass. Did you know that the US Open used to be played on clay courts? The Italian began by suggesting that "being in the spotlight" is not something you can avoid as a tennis player. Almost never used on the professional circuit, carpet courts are made of artificial turf mixed with sand. Federer - whose worst surface is clay 4. I answered well. I didn't want to give him too much time. 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. The carpet surface was just the right blend for him to attack on his own serve-and-volley as well as return serve and defend. He has won 16 of his 17 titles on hard courts and is yet to earn a title on clay. His ability to move and slide on the hard courts makes him a threat, and his groundstrokes have a certain bite on this surface that allows him to neutralize his opponents. Much like the Australian Open who was played on grass until 1988, the US Open became a hard court tournament in 1978. So remember, if you want to be a complete player, clay courts are where you should practice. - TheChampLair.com. Novak Djokovic has finally given some positive news regarding his participation in the ATP tour. Novak Djokovic of Serbia lifts the trophy after beating Stefanos . 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. Grass is djoko's worst surface. Currently ranked at No 8, Nadal will exit the top 10 on March 20 for the first. 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. Overall, he is fine, this is the best surface for him. Each member of the "Big Four" today is an all-round player, but Djokovic is especially good on the hard courts. Not just that, but he was also an immaculate athlete on the indoor courts. Medvedev has just one title to his name on grass but reached the championship match at both the Rosmalen Grass Court Championships in sHertogenbosch and the Halle Open. And perhaps the most surprising stat is that Roger Federer didn't have the best winning percentage on grasscourts during this period.