Novak Djokovic, French Open Winner and Likely the Best Ever Along with Barbora Krejkov, Djokovic was a singles champion in Paris this past weekend. Taylor Fritz has the game to win Wimbledon. The American was all business on the court, and it showed in his determination and results. Nadal 2. 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. Nole is going on sunday for the 4th title in the last 6 Wimbledon editions. He is the best player on Grass over the last few years but HC is where he is best. Being the most common surface on the professional tennis tour, hard courts are essential to master for any aspiring pro player. This tennis court surface requires specific training, physical condition, and skillset. Points need to be built strategically, its tough to hit a direct winner, and long rallies are quite common. Thanasi Kokkinakis bowed out in the second round of Wimbledon 2022, losing to Novak Djokovic 6-7 (7-4) 6-2. The French Open has been dominated by such players, especially in the open era. TheChampLair.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. But following a 6-4, 6-4 defeat to Daniil Medvedev, the World No. Hard courts are cost-efficient as they are cheaper to build and require close to no maintenance. This tournament gave birth to quite a lot of champions who could master the low bounce and the quickness of grass balls. Despite Nadals overall dominance, Djokovic leads the field on clay (.727 to Nadals.560), winning more titles (.727 to Nadals.560). But I want to play on grass, I want to play Wimbledon. Lets dig into the characteristics of this surface. Djokovic's best surface is undoubtedly hard court. He better on clay than grass but he's ran into the clay GOAT to often, especially at RG to get more than 1. Noleis able to crack the ball better in the hard-court tournaments, and his career win-loss record in them is staggering. Nadal is a great hard court player, but his success on clay makes him the clear favorite in that format. But I don't understand why OP question would draw such mockery from some posters. Rafael Nadals nearly 18-year streak in the top ten is ending. March 3, 2023 Daniil Medvedev insists that he cannot fathom how Novak Djokovic manages to win so many matches on grass. Novak Djokovic barely wins 78 percent of the time on his least desired environment. My intensity is always the same in every game. Novaks traditional grass court game is very poor. It was a terrible feeling, I have to be honest. One shot is all it takes sometimes to end the point with a winner on the fast surfaces. Thats where tennis was born and initially played. Novak Djokovic leads early favourites for the French Open. Your login session has expired. Improving: The best surface to improve as a tennis player. He goes against the grain, and he does so in a completely different way than most grass players. 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). well.She has been serving well, and that always is a sign that she is feeling good about her game.It is also wonderful to see Garbine Muguruza doing well.Clearly, the collaboration with Conchita Martinez is paying rich dividends for the Spaniard," Becker opined. 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. In most cases, GOAT debates are devoid of substance. He has won Wimbledon three times and is the current world No. Pre-Wimbledon is the period of time leading up to the start of the Wimbledon tennis tournament. He has won 16 of his 17 titles on hard courts and is yet to earn a title on clay. Can you guess what the impact would be on grass courts? 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. He did, however, lose on hard courts, but he retains the number one ranking on both surfaces. These are techniques that have helped me throughout my career. ", 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. Nadal is not the only player that will be remembered for being dominant on clay (see the next slide), but he is certainly the greatest ever player on that surface. Jimmy Connors was, in a way, the Federer of his time. Though he did not have outright weapons, per se, he could break anybody down and won so many matches on clay by being clever and skillful. The clay season brings with it its own challenges, the formemost of which is Rafael Nadal. He does not even need to break his opponents down. The Italian has faced Novak three times this year, being defeated respectively at Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open. We mortals can only shrug our shoulders. 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. However, Rafael Nadal leads the stat for claycourts in the same time frame, and by a big margin too. 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. There is no clear consensus on whether Novak Djokovic is the best tennis player on grass, but many experts believe he is. In addition to 19 titles on grass at Halle, eight at Wimbledon, and one at Stuttgart, he has won nine on grass at other events. Novak Djokovic faced his first loss of the 2023 season on Friday, falling to Daniil Medvedev in the semifinals of the Dubai Tennis Championships. Daniil Medvedev won an ATP Tour-leading four titles on the surface this season, as well as emerging victorious in a Tour-best 46 matches. 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 . Many professional players use this time to prepare and practice for the competition. Price: Clay courts are cheaper to construct. He is likely to struggle on the slippery court, which is his weakest point. At Wimbledon, the pair will almost certainly meet again. These four tennis surfaces we just covered all have pros and cons and can all be useful for improving a particular aspect of your game. Carpet courts are mainly found indoors. Medvedev is amazed at the way that Djokovic always seems to find a way to earn a break even against the biggest and best serves in the game. What's wrong with some people who only feel the need to throw petty sarcasm and act immature rather than simply answering the question. I suggest that you warm-up properly before each session to lower the risk of injury. Federer has accumulated more than 10 Slams on the quick courts and is clearly more dominant on this surface. The declined state of tour and ability on grass has helped Novak win 3 wimbledons I will admit. Grass, Clay, Carpet, and Hard courts (seriously guys, we just covered this). That's what we can call good answer, real arguments about topic You must be Novak's fan, eventually Murray's? Borg was incredibly frustrating to play against, as he naturally knew where to move and at what times. According to Daniil Medvedev, Novak Djokovic is the best player on grass in history. Nole should have at most 2 Wimbledon titles (if that). That's just my confidence, that's just what I bring to the table.". But either way, the 85-time tour-level titlist knows he has a chance at joining Laver as the second man in the Open Era to complete the calendar-year Grand Slam in less than two months. Now, the four-time Wimbledon champ is threatening Roger Federer's claim as the world's best player on the surface. A hard court is played differently than a quick grass court because it is faster and plays a much different game. Much like the Australian Open who was played on grass until 1988, the US Open became a hard court tournament in 1978. expressed his dismay by the defeat of youngsters at the Australian Open but was more than happy to see Stanislas Wawrinka reaching the quarterfinals. 1. Die-hard Murray fan but nothing against Novak (except when he plays Murray of course). Relative to the field he definitely is better on grass than HC these days. I answered well. 1 Novak Djokovic had the best hardcourt winning percentage on the ATP tour during the period from 2011 to 2020. Novak Djokovic is one of the best tennis players in the world and he is especially dominant on grass courts. Daniil Medvedev handed Novak Djokovic his first defeat of the year and Andrey Rublev claimed his first win over Alexander Zverev. I think he has a good draw. He has now won nineteen majors, just one. With the new rules we have less time. Improving: The best surface to improve as a tennis player. Novak Djokovic of Serbia lifts the trophy after beating Stefanos . Furthermore, goats will eat all grass, and some here believe they have a right to claim it as their own. Why would anyone care about Gonzalez and Santoro losses when the last meetings were over 10 years ago, and when he has played Karlovic only once in the last 11 years? 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. However, many experts believe that Djokovic plays best on faster courts such as hard courts and indoor courts. Can you imagine the difference it would make on a 150Mph John Isner serve? The open34Total Count21223 contains 21223 rows. Together, they utterly dominated for several years. Despite winning five Grand Slam titles in total, Novak Djokovic has yet to reach the French Open final. Novak Djokovic looks to be the hot favourite for a third French Open title. The reason behind this is that it builds the most complete players. 3 on this list, with Rafael Nadal not making the top 10 due to the minimum cut-off of 50 matches being used. He also has a very impressive record at the All England Club. Bjorn Borg is Novaks main rival in the horse race. Having only lost in one Roland Garros tournament and being the all-time Masters Series title holder, largely due to his clay dominance, are just a couple of things that stand out for the Spaniard. Murray has die hard fans? 5, Milos Raonic at No. Djokovic has won four Wimbledon titles and has reached the final six times, including five consecutive years from 2014 to 2018. Djokovic - whose worst surface is clay 3. Vajda claims that even though they were in the opposite box, they remain good friends. ", Flavia Pennetta: "Novak Djokovic is always number 1! ", Novak Djokovic passes Rafael Nadal, matches Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal admits: 'I had a major breakdown', Stefanos Tsitsipas shocked by the train tragedy in Greece, Miami TD James Blake compares 'incredible story' Emma Raducanu to Maria Sharapova, ATP Dubai: Novak Djokovic falls to Daniil Medvedev and suffers first loss, Novak Djokovic on 2019 Wimbledon final: Statistically, Roger Federer was better, Maria Sharapova on how to build strong brand: Be smart with people you align with, Rafael Nadal: 'I'm doing my best, but we need patience'. Physical stamina and resistance coupled with a good service can go a long way there, so make sure you adapt your practice sessions accordingly. 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. Medvedev describes grass as the toughest surface to play on. Tennis quickly became a passion, and he started coaching at the early age of 16. First of all, clay courts are the most sensitive to spins and the slowest of all. "There are a lot of great athletes, but I would need to say, Novak (when asked to name the best mover)," added the Italian. Meanwhile, in Australia, they use a material called Plexicushion, which is a bit slower. "From the German corner, I am delighted that Alexander Zverev has made the quarters. 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. 1 didn't have to look too far to find the key reason behind his first loss of the season. I sincerely hope that this article helped clarify the differences between these types of tennis courts. 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. He also has a strong record at other grass-court tournaments, such as the Queens Club Championships and the Aegon Championships. The 20-time Grand Slam champion will also compete in the ATP Finals in Turin and the Davis Cup finals, while his presence at the Australian Open 2022 is uncertain (due to the well-known vaccination requirement). 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. 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 Swiss is one of the all-time great attacking players and can do virtually anything on the court. He has won all of his Grand Slam titles on hard court, and has consistently been a top player on tour on this surface. Copyright 2020 All Rights Reserved. Did I increase the intensity by playing against an Australian? He has more weapons to defeat Nadal at Wimbledon than he did at the French Open. 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. If he wins tomorrow, he'll have 5 Wimbledons. 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. 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. If he beats Federer on sunday could be grass considered his best surface now? 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. Despite this, both surfaces are undeniable, and despite Djokovics dominance on hard courts, his dominance on clay courts should not distract from Federers exceptional record. 8 and Nicolas Mahut at No. To become a complete tennis player, you need to master each tennis court surfaces this beautiful game can be played on. Almost never used on the professional circuit, carpet courts are made of artificial turf mixed with sand. Camila Giorgi enchants Instagram with a cowgirl outfit! 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. The slower the hard court the better, as he has won a multitude of ATP1000 titles. He also did not have the best fitness regime, so he tried to get the points over as quickly as possible. 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. They were the Big Two, Fedal, the greatest rivalry yet in tennis history and the greatest players the sport had ever seen. Novak Djokovics dominance on hard courts is well known, but Roger Federers on clay courts is less well known. The current era, dating back to 2000s, is one of the best baseline periods of modern history. 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. Borg has been present at many of Nadal's French Open successes and is surely thankful that they did not compete during the same time period. Carpet courts are great for fast-paced training, but they can be quite dangerous for your joints. I didn't have any extra motivation or increased desire to win because I was challenging an Australian tennis player. 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 . Some surfaces confound them. Since then, he's won 6 AO and 3 USO. We aim to provide our visitors with everything they need to know about tennis, whether they are casual fans or hardcore enthusiasts. Camila Giorgi enchants Instagram with a cowgirl outfit! 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. Therefore, it is not surprising that Djokovic is favored to win on grass courts. It would be best to learn how to build your points and avoid unforced errors at all costs. In the end, it all comes down to personal preferences, but clay is often regarded as the best surface. Despite this, Nadal has won 11 of his 16 matches on grass this year, including a dominant victory at the French Open. Wimbledon titles have been won by the All England Club four times in a row since 2007, setting a new record. According to Slovak professional tennis coach and former player Marian Vajda, Novak Djokovic should be able to win the 2022 Wimbledon Championships considering his prowess on grass courts. This surface consists of a rubber court cover and is essentially used for practice. Despite this, he is extremely quick and can stretch, as well as becoming extremely effective on grass due to his sheer determination. The greatest natural grass court player of all time cannot be a modern tennis 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 . I don't like it, honestly, I feel too much pressure.". After winning the Rome Masters, Novak Djokovic will now head to Madrid to begin preparing for the French Open. 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. Although he may have a natural clay court game, athletics is 1% physical and 99% mental. How To Choose The Right Tennis Racquet Length, The Importance Of Keeping Your Tennis Shoes In Good Condition. In this article, I will try to tackle every concern and question you may have about the subject. In both of those finals Medvedev went down to heavy-hitters in Tim van Rijthoven and Hubert Hurkacz. His ability to move quickly and efficiently and stretch out is astounding, and his determination has made him invaluable on grass. In his column for the Times of India, Becker wrote, "The Australian Open entered its second a week with some of the contenders whom I had mentioned, particularly among the younger players, falling in the early rounds. His play on grass is excellent. If not, the Serb will turn his attention to the Monte-Carlo Masters, at which point he admitted that he will take some time off to prepare for the clay swing. Recently, a fan shared a video of her and 20-time Grand Slam champion training together. "It is strange, obviously." In 28 of their 59 matches on clay, he has won 28, while only two have been on hard courts. How To Choose The Right Tennis Racquet Length, The Importance Of Keeping Your Tennis Shoes In Good Condition. 7, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga at No. He has won all of his Grand Slam titles on hard court, and has consistently been a top player on tour on this surface. Thanasi is a good guy and we have a great relationship. Please logout and login again. Djokovic (first) and Federer (third) are two of the three best players on hard court in the Open Era. Now we know that grass is a fast surface, and players know how to adjust their game accordingly. Its non-toxic composition is made of crushed bricks and mineral aggregates. The two world number ones have met in all four Grand Slam finals in the last four years. Since the last two years, Clay has choked in Rhode Island. So thats where grass is a little bit tough for me, like for example, I lost to [Tim] Van Rijthoven in the [s-Hertogenbosch] final last year and before the final I was feeling great, playing great, and he was having a good day, hitting bombs, after the match, I was like, okay, one hour, he just hit winners all over the place and I lost. If not for COVID 2020, Novak Djokovic would have won at least seven Wimbledon titles by now. His statistics are arguably the best of anyone, but it is his mental edge and sheer infallibility at his peak which make him number one. All about the most admired couples in tennis. He has been playing flawless tennis and looks very very unbeatable on his favourite surface. If he played more Queens-halle he would loose there quite a few times, clay would be a better surface for him. High maintenance: Requires a lot of brushing, watering, and rolling. I dont know what their decision is going to be. Defensive players and those who like to play from the baseline are often the ones that strive on clay courts. On indoor hardcourts, Roger Federer is in pole position with an 83.50% winning percentage record. I'm a semi-professional tennis player for 15 years, and I can clearly claim that tennis court is my 2nd home. He is also an excellent defender, which allows him to win a lot of long rallies. Djokovic has a very powerful and aggressive game that allows him to take control of points and dictate play. Each member of the "Big Four" today is an all-round player, but Djokovic is especially good on the hard courts. Djoker is clearly dominant on any surface with any bounce or speed. Novak Djokovic is an incredibly fast athlete with success on all courts. People need to grow up here. "Finally, I hope Ash Barty does well because it would be great for the game to have a top seed on the women's side winning a Grand Slam.Add to that the fact that Australia has had a terrible summer, thanks to the bushfires," Becker signed off. I felt so bad, Novak [Djokovic] also felt very bad. He has a very strong serve and can hit winners from anywhere on the court. Alexander Zverev is seen as one of the players capable of breaking the stranglehold of Nadal, Roger Federer and. You have made a lot of enemies in this forum of people who are neutral about Djokovic, even mildly supportive, but who just hate your trolling. I think he has a good draw. John McEnroe is the all-time king of carpet courts. Some of the pre-tournament events include the Aegon Championships and the Aegon International. In addition to his three Australian Open titles and two French Open titles, Federer has a total of ten US Open titles. 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. From 100Mph, the ball will travel at 92Mph after bouncing on the grass. If he can keep up this level of play, he will be the only man to defeat Nadal in all four major tennis tournaments. That's how it is here, unfortunately. Today there has been a lot of respect and that is the most important thing. While Andy Murray and Juan Martin del Potro round out the top 5, 24-year-old Russian Daniil Medvedev represents the younger generation in this list at No. Serb Novak Djokovic holds a winning percentage of 87.4% on clay courts, making him the best player in the world. JavaScript is disabled. Peoples opinions would change if grass had a three-month season. Novak Djokovic has finally given some positive news regarding his participation in the ATP tour. His seven Wimbledon titles make up half of his all-time major count, and they are representative of his status as an American icon. While the Spaniard is yet to hit his stride this season, he has been a beast on clay for almost two decades, winning the French Open a record 14 times -- 12 times more than Djokovic. Each member of the "Big Four" today is an all-round player, but Djokovic is especially good on the hard courts. Im just going to wait for it and hopefully, I can play Wimbledon this year and show some great results.. Nadal has won the most titles on the clay courts (34) and the hard courts (ten). It is only three victories behind Novak Djokovic, who holds the record for most wins on the surface by a female. With eight titles, Novak Djokovic is almost certain to win another one and close out his career. His 11 titles in Roland Garros and 57 titles on clay courts are an all-time record. Its common knowledge that the tennis court surfaces highly influence the bounce of a tennis ball.