There’s no doubt that Novak Djokovic is the best tennis player in the world right now as he is currently ranked number one overall in the ATP rankings.
The 32-year-old Serbian international is in the thick of his physical prime and he’s made the most out of it by bringing home awards left and right over these past few years.
After leading Team Serbia to win the ATP Cup, he won the first Grand Slam tournament of the year by winning his eighth Australian Open title. And he will be always be favoured in our ATP 2020 odds of winning more trophies down the road.
79 overall titles and 17 Grand Slams are a hard feat to replicate, and that puts him in the conversation among the all-time great players of the sport because he continues to make history.
As we continue to wait for our sporting events to resume, SBOBET offers you today an in-depth look as to why Novak Djokovic is great at what he does.
The best backhand return in the business
The sport of tennis normally requires having strong forearms and Djokovic is one of those players who can make a vicious return after his opponent does a serve.
With most serves being directed for a backhand, Djokovic worked hard in developing his into a dangerous weapon, making it easier for him to score against opponents along with producing some of the best ATP 2020 highlights.
Djokovic’s technique is very simple. He would have his two hands on the grip of the racket, then his upper body will rotate 90 degrees sideways to generate just enough momentum to hit the ball with force.
Djokovic often gets creative on where to place the ball when he uses his backhand. He can either take the ball early and rip it hard cross court or he can roll it with an acute angle and even hitting a quick drop shot.
With his strong technique and great footwork, Djokovic’s backhand is something to look out for if you’re his opponent as he can negate your serve all in just one touch.
Don’t overlook at his serve either
Pundits in the past have overlooked Djokovic’s serves before, but statistics show that the 32-year-old superstar is one of the best at it.
“You actually don’t think about his serve, which is kind of disrespectful to him in a sense, because he does everything so well. He would even say probably six or seven years ago that his serve was a bit of a liability. But now, it’s not at all,” said John Isner in a past interview.
“If I was to put an empty can of ball on the court and you pick one player to hit a spot, typically it would have been Roger Federer. But today, I think Djokovic is that guy,” said Wimbledon analyst Craig O’Shannessy.
Novak Djokovic had proven just that especially this past year. In the 2019 Service Games Won Leaderboard, the 32-year-old is ranked fifth behind the likes of Rafael Nadal, Reilly Opelka, Roger Federer, and John Isner at 88-per cent.
He has also upped his aces for the last five years. From notching only 3.8 average aces in 2016, Djokovic has made a steady climb and has now reached to an average of 7.2 aces per match.
Djokovic had to deal with elbow issues in 2017 to 2018 which led him to introduce some tweaks to his service form. And so far, his hard work has bore fruit as he was won nearly 90-per cent of his service games this 2020 calendar year.
“We worked a lot in the offseason on my nerve. In terms of the way I’ve been serving now, it has been some of the best serving I’ve had in my career,” said Djokovic.
An apex predator on the tennis court
Djokovic’s tough upbringing in Serbia may have helped him in terms of his mental focus on the tennis court, especially with his poker face and steely demeanor.
At the same time, the Serbian superstar is also known for his tremendous work ethic as he would never stop despite being physically hurt at times.
Athletes can learn a thing or two about his approach as he often does mental visualisation and mindfulness whenever he trains. In his book called “Serve to Win”, Djokovic explained the benefits of doing such on a regular basis.
“I do it everyday for about 15 minutes and it is as important to me as my physical training. Instead of trying to find your ‘inner peace’, you allow and accept your thoughts as they come,” wrote Djokovic.
His mental approach has put him head and shoulders above the competition. Add that along with his physical gifts, now you know why Novak Djokovic is the best tennis player in the world today.
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