Novak Djokovic — The Most Successful Male Player in the Open Era
On 11th July 2021, Novak Djokovic equalled the Grand Slam record in Men’s tennis with his 20th Major title, his sixth at Wimbledon. He has the shortest gap between the 1st and 20th Grand Slam title, a difference of only 12.5 years compared to Federer’s 14.5 years and Nadal’s 15.5 years. He also holds the highest winning percentage in the Open Era. Here, I take a look at some of the factors behind Djokovic’s success.
Style of Play
What is it about Novak Djokovic’s style of play that has given him so much success? Critics call it “unappealing” but there’s no doubt it is remarkably effective.
He is not like Federer, who beats you with overwhelming offense. He is not like Nadal who grinds you down with unbelievable defense. It is not just outright power or precision. Nor is it just positional intelligence or his superior movement. It is… all of them. Djokovic employs a style that has all of them, in variations at different points in a match.
There’s no “oomph” factor in his shots like a Federer forehand or a Nadal passing shot winner. However, there’s a discipline and an unwavering focus in each of the shot that he plays. The depth of shot that he employs is, by now, quite legendary.
You can’t target his backhand like you try against Federer. He will redirect effortlessly to any side he wants, with both pace and depth. You can’t attack his serve like you try against Nadal. He can vary his serve better than almost every other player, going from 90 MPH kick serves to 110 MPH second serves. There is simply no clear weakness to target in his game.
That is why Djokovic, at his very best, went on to have the greatest season in the Open Era and why he currently holds the highest peak Elo rating ever. Djokovic is the pioneer of modern open stance defence on hard courts, a shot that has taken baseline defence to new heights in this era.
Racquet Specifications
Djokovic employs a quite high swingweight of 360–370. Higher swingweights generally mean more power, less maneuverability but also more control. Novak has the highest swingweight of the Big 3.
Higher string tension means more control and less spin while lower string tension increases power and spin. Generally, Djokovic also strings the tightest of the Big 3, emphasizing on launch angle control over spin.
The size of grip also influences wrist action and, simplistically the spin of the ball you hit. Larger grip size means more racquet head control with lesser spin. Djokovic, again has the largest grip size among the Big 3.
The frame balance also plays a factor in manoeuvrability and reaction to shots. Federer employs a very “head light” frame while Nadal is more closer to even balance. Djokovic is in between. Federer’s “head light” frame allows him the manoeuvrability to attack inside the court at will while also playing his trademark flick shots. Nadal’s predominant baseline play is influenced by his closer to even balance on the frame, allowing him more control but also makes it harder to react to pace and flat strokes.
From all this, we notice that there’s a very deliberate theme of “control” in Djokovic’s specifications. Spin is sacrificed for control in terms of string tension. The balance of his frame allows him better power and manoeuvrability over five sets. Due to his grip size and the racquet balance, Novak manages to minimize wrist action on his shots but increases his body action. The trade-off is that he gives up spin and power but gets a high degree of control in terms of depth and direction. This element of Control in his shots probably what makes him such a strong player in the biggest of points.
These specifications are also why we see Djokovic struggling in windy conditions. His racquet set up is such that he has to use more wrist action than usual to get spin into his shots to have some degree of control in his groundstrokes. That extra action of his body is what makes him uncomfortable in those conditions.
Relative Fitness
Djokovic, for the lack of a better word, is remarkably fit. Ever since his diet change in mid 2010, the Serb has only had one major injury in his career — a shoulder/elbow issue in 2017. In comparison, Nadal has had a multitude of injuries throughout his career, from his knee to even his wrist. Federer, while not suffering as many serious injuries as Nadal, has missed a substantial part of a season due to some injury, even in his heydays.
Djokovic’s cement screeching open stance defence has claimed many casualties to injuries, Hyeon Chung in particular. The Korean’s open stance defence mirrored Djokovic’s. However, shortly after his rise, he was brought down by foot injuries, possibly sustained from that open stance sliding defensive game. It is therefore quite remarkable that Djokovic has not suffered any serious foot injuries in his career. His excellent fitness is one of the main reasons for his continued longevity at the top.
Age
Djokovic is one year younger than Nadal and six years younger than Federer. This is, in itself, an advantage. Historically, it has been shown that a younger all-time great tennis player almost always has the advantage in the head to head battle against an older all-time great. The larger the difference in age, usually the more lopsided the Head-to-Head is.
Furthermore, being younger means you are always “chasing” the records. Hence, there are almost no grounds for any loss in motivation.
In addition, being younger allows you to tailor your schedule towards what is expected in these times. More specifically, there’s been a major focus on “Big Titles” in the past couple of years. The “Big Titles” have been defined by the ATP to be the Grand Slams, all the Masters Titles, the ATP Finals titles and the Olympics. This is a very recent categorization of tournaments and one that didn’t exist 10–15 years ago. This is disadvantageous for the older players who didn’t have this specific categorization in their heydays. Djokovic being the youngest allowed him the “luxury” to peak in the tournaments that “matter” according to current standards.
Structure of the Tour
The structure of the tour is also a factor in determining who is the best player in an era. Let’s start from the 1970s. The 70s had more than 50% of the Tour on the Natural surfaces of grass and Clay. The most successful player in those times was Bjorn Borg. Borg is arguably the greatest natural surface player of all time.
The 1980s then saw a rise in popularity of hard courts. The faster cement surface had almost the same number of tournaments as the slower Clay. The most successful player in those times was Ivan Lendl. He was also considered the most versatile player of his era, as he mastered both the Hard Courts and the Clay courts in his time.
The 90s saw an increase in the number of hard court tournaments which were predominantly fast and also a subsequent decrease in the number of Clay court tournaments. It’s then no wonder that Pete Sampras, the most successful proponent of the Serve and Volley style of tennis, dominated this era with his scarily accurate serve and ultra attacking game plan.
The 21st Century ushered in the era of homogenization of the courts leading to the slowing down of the faster courts. In addition, there was further increase in the number of Hard Court tournaments. This led to Hard Courts constituting more than 55% of the ATP Tour in 2015, a sharp increase from the 25% it constituted in 1982. It is therefore no surprise that Novak Djokovic, the greatest Hard Court player of this era, is the one who leads in nearly all the metrics.
This analysis of the structure of the ATP Tour is in no way, to disregard what Djokovic has achieved. A double career Grand Slam and double career Masters is truly an astonishing feat. He has proved his versatility on every surface and in nearly every condition, whether outdoor or indoor. However, it is also important to understand the context behind which these numbers were achieved and I believe the structure of the Tour is one such important factor.
Conclusion
Novak Djokovic goes for a record breaking 21st Grand Slam title at the US Open later this year. He holds nearly every record that there is, in the men’s game and with age on his side, it will take a very brave man to bet against him extending his records.
The Big 3 are not yet done and a lot can change in the blink of an eye. However, as it stands, The Djoker holds all the trump cards.
