Monday, 13 March 2023 / Published in Australian Open, Forehands, Novak Djokovic

The Greatest Djokovic Stat – Ever!

Are you able to put a finger on the pulse of greatness?

In other words, what exactly does Novak Djokovic do so well that sets him apart from other players? Is there a specific match statistic that identifies the gap between him and the rest of the field?

Yes. There. Is. 🎯

Novak went 12-0 in Australia in January, winning five matches in Adelaide and seven matches in Melbourne. He was on a mission.

I had all of his Australia matches tagged in my Brain Game Match Intelligence Report (13-page match stats) to uncover what he was doing so well and where he created significant separation from his opponents.

What I found was shocking. Let’s peel back the layers…

MORE NOVAK DJOKOVIC

Click Here – Webinar 12: Working On The Coaching Team Of Team Djokovic

Click Here – Webinar 18: FREE Novak Djokovic 2023 Australia Analysis

WINNERS & ERRORS

The following two tables highlight all the winners and errors from Novak and his opponents.

2023 Adelaide & Australian Open: Novak Djokovic 12 Matches

The focus here is on FOREHANDS.

Novak hit 42 more forehand winners than his opponents (143-101)
Novak committed 145 fewer forehand errors than his opponents (158-303).

His 42-point advantage in hitting winners was substantial. His 145-point advantage with forehand errors was jaw-dropping!

Now let’s slice that data up another way…

2023 Australia: Djokovic Forehand Winners & Errors

This is where Novak finds another level.

Novak hit 143 winners and committed 158 errors, so he ended up at -15 when you subtract errors from winners. By the way, errors are made up of all forced and unforced errors.

To be -15 is simply from another planet. 🌎🚀

As you may have heard me reference in the past, the forehand is the sword, and the backhand is the shield. The role of the forehand is to attack and force errors. The role of the backhand is not to miss.

Novak’s opponents hit 101 forehand winners and committed 303 forehand errors. They ended up at -202 when you subtract winners from errors.

Novak’s difference of -15 is light years better than his opponents’ difference of -202.

The main difference that separates Novak from his 12 opponents is not the ability to strike forehand winners. They were basically in the same ballpark. It’s Novak’s ability not to yield forehand errors. That’s what separates him at the end of the day.

Look at the picture at the top of the page of Novak hitting a defensive forehand. It’s impressive how balanced his body is under duress.

Novak created massive separation from his opponents by not spraying forehands. It’s a combination of ridiculously clean and simple technique, spacing, balance, anticipation, and early preparation. All things that you can focus on at the amateur level as well.

Next time you are working on your forehand or relying on it in competition, remember Novak’s 2023 data from Down Under. Hitting winners is fun. Putting forehands consistently in the court helps you take titles.

Best,

Craig

I just completed a FREE webinar on Novak’s 12 matches Down Under to start 2023.

Click Here – Webinar 18: FREE Novak Djokovic 2023 Australia Analysis

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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The Greatest Djokovic Stat – Ever!

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