Thursday, 19 April 2018 / Published in ATP Tour, Dominic Thiem, Monte Carlo, Novak Djokovic

Five Take Aways: 2018 Monte Carlo Thiem def Djokovic

G’day from Monte Carlo,

What a match that was! 👍👍

Congratulations to Dominic Thiem who defeated Novak Djokovic 6-7(2), 6-2, 6-3 in 2:29. It was a battle royale, and then some!!! It’s important to note that Novak served at 3-3, 40-15 in the 3rd set and had a lot of momentum. That’s tough to see in the final score.

I sat down low on the side of the court for the match, which offered a tremendous view of the high-quality action. I have basically walked straight off the court to my computer, as I want to share some thoughts on the match while they are so fresh in my mind. So here we go…

1. DEPTH

Sitting on the side of the court lets you clearly examine depth. Most of the time, especially with a TV view from behind the court, it’s direction that stands out the most to us. Not so much for me today. Both Dominic and Novak hit soooo many deep balls in the match. Too often we put so much emphasis on the ball in the air – where the focus is power and spin. A slightly slower ball that lands deep is just as lethal as a scorching forehand that lands in the middle of the court. Spin and power are the elements that you use to gain depth. Depth is the end game.

2. WORK HARD WHEN THE BALL IS ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE COURT

Recreational players (like you!) hit their shots, watch where it goes, wait to figure out where it is coming back, and THEN move to the ball. That’s not how it works for Dominic and Novak. They hit the ball, and then start pumping their feet with repeated split steps. They keep the revs up. They keep the rpm’s at a high level as the ball is traveling away from them. That way they are already in motion when the ball starts to come back, speeding up their movement to their next shot. You work hard when the ball is on your side of the court. These guys work harder when the ball is on the other side.

3. ATTACK THE FOREHAND WIDE

Most rallies in tennis go through the Ad court to the opponent’s backhand. As I explain in The 25 Golden Rules of Singles Strategy, the forehand is the sword, and the backhand is the shield. Forehands are hit harder than backhands and account for more winners basically two to one. This concept is the same for you as it is for Dominic and Novak. In many, many points, you want to attack the backhand to break it down or weaken it. If you get a chance to finish, it’s to the vacant forehand side. More winners in tennis are actually hit to the forehand wing – not the backhand.

4. RETURN TO THE FOREHAND

Common sense would dictate that you want to return more balls to the comparatively weaker backhand wing. But not always. The reason is that you can typically rush a forehand more because it has a bigger backswing, and there is no better time to rush a groundstroke than right after a serve. There is a big difference hitting a forehand following a forehand than a forehand right after a serve. Court position is different. Time is different. The mentality is different. So next time you play a match, consider returning serve right down the middle of the court to rush the opponent’s forehand backswing and force an error. It was a major factor for Dominic and Novak this afternoon.

5. GET INSIDE THE OPPONENT’S HEAD

There is the physical match with all the running around and hitting, and then there is the mental match to get inside the opponent’s head and figure out what they are plotting – what are they going to do next. Between the points is a time to understand the favorite patterns of the opponent, and then work out ways to shut them down. As I watched Dominic and Novak between the points, you could just see the wheels turning in their head. Where is he going to serve next? What’s the score? What is he expecting? Should I be more defensive or offensive right now? Is this a time for a primary pattern which I love to run all the time, or a secondary pattern such as a high heavy ball, or a drop shot? Don’t tune out between the points! Dominic and Novak were constantly running through their checklists to try and gain an advantage for the next point.

Cheers from Monte Carlo. I hope this helps your own game!

Craig

The practice court is clearly broken. Here’s the proof.

Points are "front loaded". By far the majority of the action, and the winning, takes place in THE FIRST 4 SHOTS. The practice court is full of long rallies. Matches are dominated by short rallies. There is a massive disconnect occurring.

We spend too much time grinding, banging balls up and down the middle of the court – that have no real benefit to winning tennis matches.

There are 3 specific rally lengths in tennis. Here is their percentage breakdown of total points.

0-4 Shots = 70%
5-8 Shots = 20%
9+ Shots = 10%

The First 4 Shots is specifically the serve, return, Serve +1 groundstroke and Return +1 groundstroke. Those are normally the shots that get practiced the least, but matter the most to winning tennis matches.

The net is an extremely high percentage place to be!

If you love playing tennis for fun, spend as much time at the baseline as you like. But if you compete – if the score matters – then you must turn your attention to the net to maximize your potential.

The “herd mentality” in tennis thinks it’s too tough to approach the net in today’s game. The conversation starts with improved string technology, more powerful rackets, and finishes with stronger, faster athletes. The herd think approaching is a relic of the past. The herd is WRONG!

AVERAGE WIN %
Baseline = 46%
Net = 66%

Data from ALL Grand Slams provides the facts about approach and volley, and the data is crystal clear – it’s immensely better than staying back at the baseline, grinding for a living.

The baseline is a tough place to create separation. Here's how to do it.

At the 2012 US Open, only 7 men and 14 women had a winning percentage from the baseline. At Wimbledon 2016, Andy Murray won the title only winning 52% of his baseline points - and he is one of the very best at it in the world!

Num3ers deeply explores the data that rules points, especially from the back of the court. Take a "deep dive" into all three rally lengths (0-4, 5-8, 9+), and winner and errors totals from the elite level of our game. The numbers will shock you!

All 4 Grand Slams

Forcing Errors = 41% Men / 37% Women
Winners = 32% Men / 29% Women
Unforced Errors = 27% Men / 34% Women

Num3ers is very much like putting a jigsaw puzzle together. It's about bringing together different data sets together to create the big picture.

Every recorded match from the 2015 Australian Open - Rd2 to the final.

There is a lot happening on a doubles court. Situations and strategies are constantly being adjusted to create mis-matches with court position. It's hard to keep track of - until now. Dou8les Num3ers is the most comprehensive analysis of doubles data in our sport. The focus is on how a point ends, and it's broken down eight ways to Sunday. Specifically, you find critical information on:

Winners rise to the #1 way a point ends (over forced & unforced errors)

- The last shot of the rally is overwhelmingly struck at the net.
- Center Window: the most important part of a doubles court to control.
- Stephen Huss: an in-depth interview on Wimbledon's Centre Court with the 2005 Wimbledon Doubles Champion.

Dou8les Num3ers leaves no stone unturned. Percentage breakdowns of how often the server or receiver hits the last shot highlight the dramatic influence of the serve. The last shot of the rally is significant, and is broken down into the following categories: volleys, overheads, passing shots, lobs and groundstrokes.

When you play a match, you actually play two matches.

When you walk out onto a tennis court, there are two matches that you are about to play. The first is during the point - a part of the match that you have spent a lot of time preparing for on the practice court. But there is a second match, that takes place in the 20 seconds between the points. This is where the mental and emotional aspects of our sport kick in.

Let's face it, there will be adversity in almost every tennis match that you play. The storm clouds are coming. How bug they are, and how long they last for, are up to you.

Between the points is very tennis specific. It provides a roadmap for the 20 seconds between the points, teaching how to handle the adversity that will surely come, and how to build on the successes that will also be present. Your mind is your biggest asset in a match, and Between the Points takes your hand off the self destruct button and stops you beating yourself.

You don't have to be good at everything, but you have got to be good at something.

You can break tennis down into four key elements - serving, returning, rallying and approaching. Each part has specific patterns of play that consistently deliver higher winning percentages than the others. No more guessing. No more opinions. All facets of our sport are covered in this exceptional product, clearly outlining what patterns to gravitate to, and how to best construct the practice court. Data comes primarily from the 2015 Australian Open.

Building Blocks

MEN = 70% errors / 30% winners
WOMEN = 74% errors / 26% winners

Forcing errors is the best way to construct a point.
You can simply break tennis down into primary and secondary patterns of play - and they are all covered here. Primary patterns include serve and return direction, forehands v backhands, and the best way to approach the net. Secondary patterns include drop shots, serve & volley and 1st volley options. If you play tournaments, this product will greatly help you simplify the singles court.

The conversation starts & ends with the Center Window.

The doubles court is like an hourglass. There are two big ends, but a small neck in the middle where all the action happens. Once you learn the power of the Center Window, where you stand to start the point will take on a lot more significance.

Doubles is a lot more about situations, with four people on the court all "dancing" with one another. Learn all the best doubles patterns, broken down for the server, returner, server's partner and the returner's partner.

Doubles Situations

The "J" - the most ideal movement for the returner's partner to attack the net.

The "V" - a better way of understanding where the server's partner should move to.

Volley Targets - there are four main areas to attack. Know which ones are higher percentage. Beach Volleyball - the idea of a "setter" and "spiker" is ideal for the doubles court.

There are certain parts of the court that the ball travels to a lot, and other low percentage areas that you really don't want to cover at all - like the alley! In general, the serving team wants to keep the ball in the middle of the court as much as possible (to help the server's partner), while the returning team benefits from hitting wider and creating more chaos in the point.

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