Novak Djokovic Tennis: French Open

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Sublime Federer, Resilient Nadal and Impressive Djokovic- Second Round Analysis.

Federer - Nadal - Djokovic- The top 3 contenders for Wimbledon 2011: Second Round Analysis.

Federer-Sublime, Nadal-Resilient, Djokovic-Impressive.That's how they were in second round matches against opponents who were clearly bedazzled by the vintage tennis shown by these players.

All 3 had a slight hiccup during the match: Federer saved 3 break points at 5-3 before going on to win the second set 6-3; Nadal dropped a serve in the fourth game of the third set before winning it 6-4; Djokovic too was broken once and missed a chance to break in second set before winning it 6-4.

Final Results:

Roger Federer: 6-2, 6-3, 6-2.

Rafael Nadal: 6-3, 6-3, 6-4.

Novak Djokovic: 6-3, 6-4, 6-2.

Here are some facts:

Statistics	Federer	Nadal	Djokovic
First Serve point won (%)	85	78	75
Aces	11	9	7
Winners	38	38	35
Unforced Error	10	7	14
Break Point Conversion (%)	50	36	56
Average First Serve Speed	119	114	114

If one looks at these facts, one would realize the neck to neck competition between these 3 players. Looking at their current form, it is hard to judge who will be the favorite. The race for number 1 spot has never been so tough and close:

Federer: If he wins the title: will take number 2 spot.

Nadal: If he loses the title: will be ousted from number 1 spot

Djokovic: If he reaches the final: will be new number 1.

Individual Matches and Performance Analysis:

Roger Federer:

My Opinion: No wonder he got a standing ovation from the crowd, the slam dunk shot with which he finished the match was reminiscent of his role model and the person whose record he is trying to equal this year: Pete Sampras. The shot which was a trademark of Sampras, etched in the memory of every single tennis fan, it is fitting that it was repeated by the greatest player of all: Federer.

His opponent was able to win first point on Fed's serve after 23 points (score 6-2,2-0,40-0).To see Federer play on the grass court is a breathtaking experience. His game can be defined by: Elegance in its purest form.

He is really moving very well and seeing him play like this- no one can imagine that he is approaching 30. He is arguably the best grass player with a perfect all round game.

Weapons: Service, Volleys and Winners.

Presently, amongst all 3, he is the best volleyer of all and grass court suits his style of play the best.If he continues to play like this, he is the strongest contender to win this tournament.

Roger Federer: “I think all four guys at the top right now feel very comfortable on grass.”

Rafael Nadal:

My Opinion: In my previous post, I had written how sometimes Nadal's tendency to downplay reality can become irritating. But this was not the case this time as one reporter out of the blue asked him whether he feels he is on a decline:

Rafael Nadal: “Me? In decline? I won Roland Garros two weeks ago, so I don’t forget that. It’s a bit fast, a bit dangerous to be saying that, eh? It’s my seventh year without being outside the top two. Is a lot of years.”

Strong statement but true. He is probably one of the greatest player in the history of tennis who has won 4 out of the past 5 grand slams (10 in all).To ask such a dumb question finally evoked true feeling out of Nadal. Well done!

He played well and the victory was quite comfortable. He has the power, the desire to make every shot count and unimaginable agility to make any player bow before him.

Weapons: Winners and his resilient attitude to make unbelievable shots again and again and to force out an error from the opponent.

The only way to defeat Nadal would be to hit out winners consistently without errors, a feat next to impossible (which only Djokovic has been able to do consistently this year)

Novak Djokovic:

My Opinion: His impressive run continues this year. He is now 43-1 and day by day he is getting more and more confident of winning. The more you see of him, the more you start admiring him. He has become more composed and focused than ever before. His gluten free diet has certainly helped him to concentrate on his game. He has made subtle improvements -His late racquet swing is gone in his serve and forehand has become more penetrating. To think of it, you can’t find a weakness currently in his game. And with his new found inspiration and best friend in London (the squirrel), he seems to be a pretty happy confident guy.

Weapons: Serve and Ability to return.

To win from him, would require the level of play shown by Federer in French open. And to think how many have been able to show that high class of play. None except Federer. You think I am wrong: The stats prove it: 43-1 this year.

Novak Djokovic: Mentally, I do have a different approach to Wimbledon than I had years before. It's obvious because of the winning streak that I had, the confidence that is very high."

Players to watch out for: Andy Murray (My Opinion: He will cruise to semifinal but the big question is can he face Nadal and beat him?) and Juan Del Potro.

What say All?

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(Disclaimer- These are my personal opinions and are not intended to hurt anyone's feelings. If you disagree, you are most welcome to discuss.)
Link to my previous post (Federer - Nadal - Djokovic- Variety on the Platter-Wimbledon First Round Analysis)

Federer - Nadal - Djokovic- Variety on the Platter-Wimbledon First Round Analysis.

Federer - Nadal - Djokovic- The top 3 contenders for Wimbledon 2011: Post-Match (First Round) and Comments Analysis:

All 3 started with a tough first set followed by some easy play in the next 2 sets. Federer won the first set in a tie breaker 7-6 (7-2), Nadal was down 4-2 in the first set and then won 6-4, Djokovic was 4-4 and then won the first set 6-4. Final Score:

Federer- 7-6,6-4,6-2.

Nadal- 6-4,6-2,6-2.

Djokovic-6-4,6-1,6-1.

They are looking better and confident than the previous year. Federer has improved his serve and is hitting some of the sweetest volleys, Nadal is playing some breathtaking tennis with unbelievable winners, and Djokovic has become the best returner of the serve outplaying Murray in this department.

But what is most interesting is to see their comments and the way they handle the pressure and chances of winning this grand slam:

"So it feels like if things go well for me, I can go extremely far here."- Roger Federer:

My Opinion: He is the most honest of all the players on the circuit and he says what is true and logical. He accepts when he is not the favorite (how relieved he was during French Open 2011) and when he is under pressure .His post-match comment shows that he knows that he has a strong chance of winning this tournament if he continues to play well. He accepted that he has an eye on equaling Pete Sampras record. And frankly speaking, who wouldn’t have their eye set on it? Listening to him is like music to the ears, calm, soft and true to heart

“Let’s not talk about what might happen in 12 days. I might be here or I might be home fishing in Majorca,”- Rafael Nadal

My Opinion: He is currently the best player in the world and I think he has known this for long time. But to me, he always seems to downplay the reality and put off the pressure from him. Be it French Open or Wimbledon here, his approach is always to put focus on others so that he can play his natural game. There is nothing wrong in this approach but as a fan I don’t feel like listening to his post-match comments because I know that he won’t be telling the reality. The reality is that he has a very strong chance to repeat his 2008 & 2010 performances (Back to back French open and Wimbledon). Fishing in Majorca? Really- Are we so dumb to believe that?

"(Nadal and Federer) deserve the roles of the favorites in this tournament. I am one of those players behind who is trying to work hard and wait for his chance."- Novak Djokovic

My Opinion: After Federer my heart goes to him as here is one player who is really becoming into a gem of tennis. His statement if analyzed deeply shows how much hard work he has put in and this might be the chance he has been waiting for. In the past, people have not liked him for his whining and mockery of players, but he is showing signs of gradually developing into a class champion. For e.g.: The relaxed manner with which he handled his French open defeat against Federer.

"I didn't play to the level that I could but I played well. He just played better. It was unfortunate that the loss had to come at that time but that's sport. I have lost before; I know what it feels like. You just move on.”

This is a player who is feeling more confident day by day to oust FEDAL and take the number one spot. Listening to him, one realizes that every player is human. One doesn’t need to be Federer or Nadal, by hard work you can beat Nadal 4 times in a year and Federer 3 times. A feat one would have thought to be impossible last year (something Murray can also take inspiration from.)

All in all, the above comments reflects the attitude of 3 of the most amazing players in tennis:

Federer- Work Hard And Accept The Reality

Nadal- Work Hard And Downplay The Reality

Djokovic- Work Hard And Wait For A Chance To Change The Reality.

What do you think?

(Disclaimer- These are my personal opinions and are not intended to hurt anyone's feelings. If you disagree, you are most welcome to discuss.)

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