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Last edited by don_budge; 04-21-2011, 11:27 AM. -
He used to tilt his shoulders too much...it was forced and unnatural. -
if you look at the older stuff in the stroke archives he had a gorgeous fluid motion. last year he tired to change to an abbreviated windup and it destroyed his motion and his rhythm. now he's back to the old motion or close.Comment
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Firstly Im going to point out Im no a djokvic fan however all these questions on why is he good can his forehand get better can his serve get better it has nothing to do with his strokes im sure if you went back 2 years the ball speed and revolutions it is making in a baseline rally would be marginally better. It comes down to it was djokovic's time to shine. Sure his serve was ordinary last year while he was working with Todd but as john has pointed out he is back serving with his old technique.
What has happened to Djokovic is he has matured into the tennis player he was ment to be no longer does he stray with his mind halfway through a match/ tournament. He know thinks he deserves to hold up grand slam trophies and he does.Comment
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technical changes in Nole's strokes
I have noticed that often Djokovic now flattens out his strokes more than he used to do. Gilles Simon also goes through streaks when he is very dangerous, when he flattens out his strokes and hits line drives. Much of the time, now, Djokovic does not have as much up & down arc on his groundstrokes, compared to how he used to hit them. Also, Djokovic does not lag the racket head as much towards contact point, on his forehand, so that he does not make as many unforced errors on that side as he used to do.Comment
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I respect your question
Does Djokovic flatten out his forehand more than he used to do, even against Nadal? I think so. Let me watch the Miami final more closely.
Djokovic had a losing career record against Nadal of 7-16, but with Nole beating Rafa in the final at both Indian Wells & Miami, the record is now 9-16. On the rough Miami court, I thought that Rafa might have the edge, but Nole came through. There is something different about the way Novak now is hitting his groundstrokes that is giving Rafael more trouble than in previous encounters.
Djokovic is constantly working to improve (as is Nadal). Novak has improved his groundstrokes, his volleys, his serve, his drop shot, his slice backhand, and his "shorty-tennis" or "mini-tennis" touch and feel. And the improvement in his physical game has boosted Novak's mental strength.Comment
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Originally posted by worldsbestcoach View Post
Sorry this was a trick question. This is my major field of interest. And it is not so. This is what I wrote in this forum 15-6-2009.
Gasquet played against Nadal today and tried the same thing with succes. Although he didn't win.
<<<<<<<<Djokovic is adjusting
I am writing this the moment Djokovic won the first set 6-3 to Nadal (semi-final Madrid Open 2009). My Dutch commentator (Jan Siemerink, ex-professional) doesn’t know what is happening. I think it is pretty obvious. Djokovic is adjusting to the gameplay of Nadal. He is copying Nadal’s ball trajectories and he is waiting to end the rally with his better than Nadal’s all court strokes.
The final in Monte Carlo showed already that Djokovic was adjusting. The BH technique produced the same ball trajectories as Nadal. I think they are equal over there even though I can’t see if Djokovic is using BH1A or BH2A. Because of the double-handed technique I think it is not so relevant. With the FH he was already creating the same ball trajectories. But now they are more forcing. His body is more behind the shot. Although it is defenitely not a FH2 technique like Nadal. But he is reversing like Nadal. Maybe his body is “finding” the FH2 (Forms Follow Function)?! Like Nadal maybe once did. Till that time Djokovic will have the same shot but without the bigger contact point area which FH2 will give you.
One of the very few mental things I acknowledge is what I maybe saw in the Monte Carlo final. Djokovic hardly used the reversing technique in the previous rounds. Although he must have been training the shot for a while. Even in the final’s first set it was not that obvious. The second set he won mainly by creating the ball trajectories like Nadal always does for his opponents. (Like now it is funny to see Nadal missing the shots he always produces himself.) And than I thought I saw Djokovic realizing that he found the way to beat Nadal. That is what I recognize. You feel that you have found the solution to make a big step forward. But because it is so new it looks like you first have to convince yourself that you can do it.
But now Djokovic is getting used to the idea. You can see it. Now it is 5-5 second set and Djokovic is getting impatient. He makes a few “old” mistakes which almost cost him the second set. Even if he loses today he will review this match and will adjust before Roland Gaross. With that fine tuning phase to come I want to give you the advice to also put some money on Djokovic.
By the way Andy Murray is adjusting in the same way like Djokovic. He produces also the same ball trajectories like Nadal. But his reversing technique is not like Djokovic is at the moment.>>>>>>>Comment
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Before getting on the Djokovic bandwagon, I'd suggest seeing how he does during the clay season. Hardcourts have always been his best surface, so let's see how he fares on clay and grass...Comment
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yes
You are right, Phil. Djokovic has improved, but still has many holes in his game. And of course clay will be a challenge for him. The rest of the season will be a challenge for him. He is not head and shoulders above other top players -- especially not on clay. Personally, I like Nole. I root for him and for all the other players.Comment
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