Novak Djokovic’s serve gets special praise from coach Goran Ivanisevic who believes his other strengths overshadow his service game
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Novak Djokovic and Goran Ivanisevic
Novak Djokovic had a fantastic end to his 2022 season. Despite not being allowed in Australia and USA which led to his absence from the Grand Slams in the two countries, Djokovic still managed to win Wimbledon and the ATP Finals while clinching three more titles to finish as the joint-most successful title winner this season.
Not only Djokovic won 5 titles, but he also gave another proof of his versatility as he won titles on all surfaces. Wimbledon on grass, Rome Masters on Clay and the ATP Finals, Astana Open, and the Tel Aviv Open on indoor hardcourts. While his finish to the season was quite discussed, Djokovic’s coach Goran Ivanisevic felt that one aspect of the Serb’s game was overlooked, once again.
Speaking with the press after Djokovic won the year-end championships in Turin, Ivanisevic explained the brilliance of Djokovic’s service game. While he gave a technical analysis and how the serve has helped the Serb in difficult moments, Ivanisevic expressed his disappointment in Djokovic not being counted as one of the best servers in the game.
“His serve was very underestimated shot all through all career. If you look so many matches, five, 10 years ago, his serve always saved him somehow. But now he’s even better. Now he always wants to improve. Especially this week, amazing percentage, amazing precision of the serve.
“Every time he needed, he hit an unbelievable first serve. His second serve is much better. But his serve is one of the best shots that people, they don’t talk (about), because they have so many other things, they forget to talk about his serve. He has one of the best serves.
“Especially when it’s tight, it’s tough, especially this week he was hitting unbelievable serve under pressure. But you can always improve. You can always go backward. With the serve, it’s very tricky. So far it’s working well. Especially this week. The court was a little faster, but still, serve was working unbelievably,” said Ivanisevic.
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Novak Djokovic eyeing a big haul in the 2023 season
With the title in Wimbledon, Djokovic overtook longtime rival Roger Federer in the race for most Grand Slams. Federer was the first to 20 majors in men’s singles with the Serb matching his tally with his 2021 Wimbledon title. A successful title defense in the All-England Club this year saw Djokovic win his 21st major leaping the Swiss maestro.
Djokovic now trails only Rafael Nadal who has 22 majors to his name owing to his titles in Australian and the French Open this year. With Djokovic cleared to play in Australia next year, he will return to his favorite hunting ground, the Melbourne Park, where he’s a record 9-time champion, a feat matched by no player, male or female.
With a shot at the title in Australia next year, Djokovic will hope he is cleared to play in the USA as well which will allow him to compete at the 2023 US Open. Seeing his form and versatility throughout this season, a chance to play all 4 majors could really light up the Grand Slam race once again between Nadal and Djokovic, much to the delight of tennis fans.
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Sarthak Shitole
(3462 Articles Published)