Throughout tennis history, some winning streaks and dominant performances have defined a particular age or generation. 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. But, prior to Roger Federer's run to the 2012 title at the All-England Club, he was clearly the most dominant player on Wimbledon grass. But One may wonder, why is that exactly? 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 . Novak is always the most popular choice. All about the most admired couples in tennis. In contrast, Nadal was dominant from the start, and Novak Djokovic was also very resilient. My intensity is always the same in every game. Kevin Fitzgerald is a tennis coach based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Carpet courts are great for fast-paced training, but they can be quite dangerous for your joints. Many players do get injured playing on hard courts. Since the last two years, Clay has choked in Rhode Island. We stay in touch, communicate and send messages to each other. Djokovic was around but couldn't compete with either of them. These two are the top-ranked tennis. He has been playing flawless tennis and looks very very unbeatable on his favourite surface. 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. That's what we can call good answer, real arguments about topic You must be Novak's fan, eventually Murray's? Defensive playstyle: Not ideal for offensive players as the balls bounce slow and high, High-quality tennis: Allows fast and spectacular points, Less tiring: Physically forgiving surface, Service: A strong serve can be a powerful ally here, Expensiveness: Not cheap to build and maintain, Weather condition: Wet areas will decrease the quality of the ball-bounce, Slippery when wet: Can be slippery if not completely dry, Low-maintenance: Hard courts are easy and cheap to maintain, Longevity: It is a lasting tennis court surface, Standard: Hard courts are a rather neutral surface that fits all playing styles, Perfect bounce: No impact on ball trajectory, Hard on the body: Strength and stamina highly recommended, Hard surface: Hard courts are not suited to older players, Almost never used on the professional circuit, carpet courts are made of artificial turf mixed with sand. Please logout and login again. Fewer mistakes: Make the judge's job easier thanks to the marks left by the ball. Currently ranked at No 8, Nadal will exit the top 10 on March 20 for the first. Each member of the "Big Four" today is an all-round player, but Djokovic is especially good on the hard courts. 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. 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. Improving: The best surface to improve as a tennis player. If green clay is considered grass, it is. "There are a lot of great athletes, but I would need to say, Novak (when asked to name the best mover . 3 on this list, with Rafael Nadal not making the top 10 due to the minimum cut-off of 50 matches being used. Daniil's misstep at Indian Wells guaranteed Nole the almost mathematical certainty of ending 2021 at the top of the ATP ranking. The Serb has a winning percentage of 79.6% on grass courts, which has been his best form for the last few years, and he has won the French Open for the last two years. Novak Djokovics dominance on clay has been the defining feature of his career. Grass Courts (minimum 5 matches) Despite his dominance on hard courts (83.3%), the Serb has a greater understanding of this surface, which gives him an advantage. Each member of the "Big Four" today is an all-round player, but Djokovic is especially good on the hard courts. ", 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. High maintenance: Requires a lot of brushing, watering, and rolling. 2011-2020: best winning % on clayNadal 90.98Djokovic 84.62Murray 75.96Thiem 74.87Ferrer 73.91Zverev 70.00Nishikori 69.85Wawrinka 69.23Almagro 67.63Berdych 66.10Min 100 matches. Murray has die hard fans? He is also an excellent defender, which allows him to win a lot of long rallies. This is crazy news. Marian Vajda is a Slovak who is well-known as a professional tennis coach and former 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 . 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. 1. This tournament gave birth to quite a lot of champions who could master the low bounce and the quickness of grass balls. Djokovic (first) and Federer (third) are two of the three best players on hard court in the Open Era. Overall, he has a great work ethic. Improving: The best surface to improve as a tennis player. 6 Best Tennis Rackets for Intermediate Players, 9 Tennis Backhand Drills Improve Your Backhand, Hands-free: Requires close to no maintenance, Higher risk of injury: Can be hard on the knees. Despite notching another win on clay, Nadal is still the top-ranked player on both surfaces. A hard court will be built at Wimbledon in 2028. In this article, I will try to tackle every concern and question you may have about the subject. Tennis quickly became a passion, and he started coaching at the early age of 16. Camila Giorgi enchants Instagram with a cowgirl outfit! This tennis court surface requires specific training, physical condition, and skillset. Grass, Clay, Carpet, and Hard courts (seriously guys, we just covered this). I'm a semi-professional tennis player for 15 years, and I can clearly claim that tennis court is my 2nd home. Novak Djokovic is set for a blockbuster clash with Daniil Medvedev in Dubai on Friday. djokovic best surface. Terms of Use and Grievance Redressal Policy. The slower the hard court the better, as he has won a multitude of ATP1000 titles in varying geographic locations and many Australian Open championships. They were the Big Two, Fedal, the greatest rivalry yet in tennis history and the greatest players the sport had ever seen. If I had to name just one thing for you to become a better player on grass, it would be this: Stay low and bend your knees A LOT more than usual. Bjorn Borg was similar to Nadalhe was quick, knew how to get out of tough situations and did not miss balls. Clay courts allow players to slide, which makes them more mobile and adds flexibility to their movement. Die-hard Murray fan but nothing against Novak (except when he plays Murray of course). Maybe his performance in the first round was not that great, but he improves his tennis as matches go by.". I suggest that you warm-up properly before each session to lower the risk of injury. The greatest natural grass court player of all time cannot be a modern tennis player. But he has also won major titles on all the surfaces and even an Olympic Gold in Bejing 2008. He did, however, lose on hard courts, but he retains the number one ranking on both surfaces. If the grass was as flat as it was in the days of Ivan Lendl, he likely won at least four Wimbledon titles. Because you can really just get a guy who is going to serve good this day and you have to win the tie-breaks. You need to learn the differences each surface will make on the rebound heights, the trajectories, the spins, and the overall game plan. Novak Djokovic barely wins 78 percent of the time on his least desired environment. Point construction: Clay courts are the best surface to learn how to construct a point properly. Federer - whose worst surface is clay 4. Im just going to wait for it and hopefully, I can play Wimbledon this year and show some great results.. The French Open has been dominated by such players, especially in the open era. 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. 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. Post Views: 11,653. - TheChampLair.com. 2011 to 2020. Despite this, Nadal has won 11 of his 16 matches on grass this year, including a dominant victory at the French Open. This list comprises the most dominant players on every surface and is largely based on the FedEx Reliability Zone. However, Rafael Nadal leads the stat for claycourts in the same time frame, and by a big margin too. His game is entirely suited for the surfacehis heavy forehand breaks down fellow-baseliners and his retrieval skills make the court seem small for competitors. Kevin now writes for several tennis related blogs and magazines. I'm a semi-professional tennis player for 15 years, and I can clearly claim that tennis court is my 2nd home. Camila Giorgi enchants Instagram with a cowgirl outfit! He is only ahead of Roger Federer (%27192922) in victories, with 84.48%. 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. Durability: The longest-lasting of the tennis court surfaces. Even if he has natural clay court skills, athletics is the physical and mental activity that brings the most physical and mental challenges. Growing up, Novak Djokovic never played on grass courts. 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. He snuck in a win here and there but still never took #1 or really challenged their dominance. He has won all of his Grand Slam titles on hard court, and has consistently been a top player on tour on this surface. Novak Djokovic looks to be the hot favourite for a third French Open title. In 28 of their 59 matches on clay, he has won 28, while only two have been on hard courts. Johnny Mac was an icon for American tennis and had the reputation as a "bad boy," but his successful career will be remembered for many decades to come. 1 didn't have to look too far to find the key reason behind his first loss of the season. That's how it is here, unfortunately. In fact, he has also done considerably better in the hard-court Masters Series tournaments than the clay ones. Only thing standing in his way, and a couple others, is clay thanks to Rafa. And with the sport being unique, in that there are several court surfaces, it makes the game even more challenging and difficult to shine. 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 . When he was on the cusp of breaking Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's NBA all-time scoring record, LeBron James recently admitted it, saying: "I feel like I'm the best basketball player that ever played the game. 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. 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. 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. But I want to play on grass, I want to play Wimbledon. 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. However, the ability to adapt to each surface is what separates the good from the great. 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). However, many experts believe that Djokovic plays best on faster courts such as hard courts and indoor courts. That's just my confidence, that's just what I bring to the table.". Overall, he is fine, this is the best surface for him. His play on grass is excellent. 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. Because of its slippery surface, he probably prefers to play on the hard court. Flying below radar has served Simona Halep well. If he wins tomorrow, he'll have 5 Wimbledons. Copyright 2023 Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. All rights reserved. Please logout and login again. He has now won nineteen majors, just one. I felt so bad, Novak [Djokovic] also felt very bad. Maybe his performance in the first round was not that great, but he improves his tennis as matches go by." 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. Add to that his 24 hard court masters and 5 WTF and it becomes clear that hard court is Djokovic's best surface. From 100Mph, the ball will travel at 92Mph after bouncing on the grass. Nole is going on sunday for the 4th title in the last 6 Wimbledon editions. Much better than the level expressed in the first round match. 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. Despite the fact that he has an advantage on hard courts, he has fared well on clay, grass, and indoor hard courts, giving him a good chance against anyone. Why would anyone argue that Nadal won the 2008 and 2011 finals against Federer? 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). And perhaps the most surprising stat is that Roger Federer didn't have the best winning percentage on grasscourts during this period. Becker picked defending champion Novak Djokovic as the man to beat at the Australian Open. I think he has a good draw. Think it says he is amazing on all of them. Now we know that grass is a fast surface, and players know how to adjust their game accordingly. He has won 16 of his 17 titles on hard courts and is yet to earn a title on clay. "Pistol" Pete Sampras certainly endured a few tough, unexpected losses at Wimbledon over the years. 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. The open34Total Count21223 contains 21223 rows. Feather Legend Jul 12, 2019 #4 Roger Federer in the last four grand slams: US Open 4th round Australian Open 4th round French Open Semi final Wimbledon final -- clay is currently Roger's second best surface. Many professional players use this time to prepare and practice for the competition. Not surprisingly, it is Rafael Nadal who had the best winning percentage - 90.98% - in this period on clay. One shot is all it takes sometimes to end the point with a winner on the fast surfaces. Djokovic was seen hitting some shots and having some laughs with the fan in Belgrade. 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. According to him, Novak Djokovic has the potential to win the 2022 Wimbledon title. There is no definitive answer to this question as Djokovic has had success on all court surfaces throughout his career. On hard courts, where he has been the more dominant player in the last few years, he has a winning percentage of 77%. Since winning his first Wimbledon title in 1977, he has three more. This surface favors offensive players with big serves and a strong net game. He's better at Wimbledon than the USO, but best at the AO. Since the year 2000, I have made the semi-finals of Wimbledon 11 times. Peoples opinions would change if grass had a three-month season. "First of all, it was very strange in Paris, to be in the opposing box. Djokovic's grass court record is WAY better than his actual grass court game. Several big servers and attacking players make the top 10, with John Isner at No. We mortals can only shrug our shoulders. Roger Federer, in his opinion, prefers grass courts because they allow him to hit shots with a greater variety of angles. He is also no slouch on hard courts, in addition to Federer. This on hard courts is a little bit less probable to happen. With a flawless record in majors against Nadal, its easy to see why Novak Djokovic is so revered. "It always takes something extra to win a point against those two. Anyone who has seen them play on grass knows Fed has a superior game. He is the only male player to have won all nine of the Masters tournaments, and has done so twice. On the ATP World Tour website, you can check the FedEx Reliability Zone to see players' winning percentages and indices on different surfaces over their entire careers. Djokovics best surface is undoubtedly hard court. For reprint rights: Times Syndication Service. Nadal has won 62 clay court titles, nearly twice as many as Borg had in his lifetime. Novak Djokovic leads early favourites for the French Open. Although he may have a natural clay court game, athletics is 1% physical and 99% mental. Ons Jabeur stands with migrants in their struggle. If he beats Federer on sunday could be grass considered his best surface now? What's wrong with some people who only feel the need to throw petty sarcasm and act immature rather than simply answering the question. 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. The international tennis federation (IFT) regulates and classifies these different tennis court surfaces by their theoretical speed. 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. Image credit: escribileamauro. Iga Swiatek is the strong favourite to retain the womens crown in Paris. Low bounce, high speed in a nutshell. From a practical point of view, ball impacts leave a mark on this surface, which is a great advantage when reviewing whether a ball was out. 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. If both Nadal and Djokovic reach the final, the Spaniard will be viewed as a favorite to win. It is only three victories behind Novak Djokovic, who holds the record for most wins on the surface by a female. Earlier in the season, he won the Adelaide 1 and Australian Open titles. Their head-to-head record was 730 when Nadal retired from the French Open in 2016, citing a left wrist injury. 1 Novak Djokovic had the best hardcourt winning percentage on the ATP tour during the period from 2011 to 2020. Medvedev has never progressed beyond the fourth round at Wimbledon and he holds an 8-4 record from four main draw appearances at the All England Club. 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. READ MORE: Novak Djokovic leads early favourites for the French Open. 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. He also has a very impressive record at the All England Club. "Roland Garros is the most open it has been in the last 10-15 years. He goes against the grain, and he does so in a completely different way than most grass players. The latter triumph. Despite winning five Grand Slam titles, including four on hard courts and one on grass, he has never advanced past the semifinals in Paris. Nowadays, the grass season is quite short on the pro tour. Vajda claims that even though they were in the opposite box, they remain good friends. Jimmy Connors was, in a way, the Federer of his time. You need a good combination of athletic abilities, tennis IQ, and skills. I didn't have any extra motivation or increased desire to win because I was challenging an Australian tennis player. Bjorn Borg is Novaks main rival in the horse race. 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. It has a very clay-like feel to it. "I always support him [Novak Djokovic] and I want him to win Wimbledon," Vajda said. (Federer has played 96). I dont know what their decision is going to be. 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. 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. Some of the pre-tournament events include the Aegon Championships and the Aegon International. Even though big serves lose their advantage and this surface is quite forgiving, some players, notoriously known as offensive, have won the French Grand Slam tournament. Murray and Tommy Haas have a winning record against Joker on grass. "Some players like the hype and pressure and perform better with it, whereas others prefer to go under the radar more." Durability: The longest-lasting of the tennis court surfaces. Roger Federer's hard-court and grass-court career records stand by the top of the indices. Relative to the field he definitely is better on grass than HC these days. Djokovic isn't even better than Federer on hard yet, both are tied with 11 Slams on hard. In fact, Djokovic has won Wimbledon twice and he is the reigning Wimbledon champion. What dirt rats? 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. Djokovic has a fantastic match record in the last 10 years having won 87% of his matches (503-74). He has won three consecutive Wimbledon titles, the last of which was in 2011. Hard courts are cost-efficient as they are cheaper to build and require close to no maintenance. There are however some tournaments still being held on carpet courts such as the Tournoi de Qubec. What Is The Optimal Weight For A Tennis Racket? Is Novak Djokovic the best clay court player ever? How To Choose The Right Tennis Racquet Length, The Importance Of Keeping Your Tennis Shoes In Good Condition. He has more weapons to defeat Nadal at Wimbledon than he did at the French Open. There are however some tournaments still being held on carpet courts such as the. Thanasi is a good guy and we have a great relationship. :lol: The best claycourters around are: 1. 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. Who has won more, Roger Federer 11 or Daniele Lindley 9? Federer mentioned it last week how the rallies are longer on grass now than on hard courts. and John Millman were truly riveting games.We are in the midst of another amazing tussle as I write this, between Rafael Nadal and Nick Kyrgios has just concluded.The Australian has seemed more composed during this tournament and all the good stuff that he has been doing for relief for the bushfire victims seems to have opened a new side of him," Becker added. A hard court is played differently than a quick grass court because it is faster and plays a much different game. Carpet courts are mainly found indoors. Nadal has won the most titles on the clay courts (34) and the hard courts (ten). Hard courts are made of concrete, topped with a synthetic and or acrylic layer. It would be best to learn how to build your points and avoid unforced errors at all costs. Berrettini believes that while some struggle under media scrutiny, others thrive on it. Becker picked defending champion Novak Djokovic as the man to beat at the Australian Open. 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. The lack of unity in terms of proofs makes grass an unreliable medium. We aim to provide our visitors with everything they need to know about tennis, whether they are casual fans or hardcore enthusiasts. Found mostly in Europe and South-America, clay tennis courts are the dream surface for baseline players. Novak Djokovic holds the all-time Masters record with 38 titles, while Nadal is second with 36. These are techniques that have helped me throughout my career. 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. Still, they and their achievements deserve recognition. I don't like it, honestly, I feel too much pressure.". One of the many advantages to building clay courts is that its an eco-friendly surface. It was a terrible feeling, I have to be honest. As Novak has always had to fight through more to win, it's not his natural surface. He hopes to be able to turn out at Wimbledon this year after being barred from the 2022 event. 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. 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. Despite being born on clay, the Serbs four Grand Slam victories are significantly better on hard courts than on clay. Grass courts. Since defeating Nadal in the fourth round of the 2010 Australian Open, Novak Djokovic has beaten him in each of their four meetings, including a thrilling five-set victory at the 2018 French Open. 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.