Djokovic is also good on grass because of his speed, agility, and power. First of all, clay courts are the most sensitive to spins and the slowest of all. Since the start of the year, Federer has won 11 of 16 clay court matches, including a dominant victory over Stan Wawrinka at the French Open. Maybe his performance in the first round was not that great, but he improves his tennis as matches go by.". Durability: The longest-lasting of the tennis court surfaces. That's what we can call good answer, real arguments about topic You must be Novak's fan, eventually Murray's? I don't like it, honestly, I feel too much pressure.". "Pistol" Pete Sampras certainly endured a few tough, unexpected losses at Wimbledon over the years. Hard courts are cost-efficient as they are cheaper to build and require close to no maintenance. Novak Djokovic holds the all-time Masters record with 38 titles, while Nadal is second with 36. Furthermore, goats will eat all grass, and some here believe they have a right to claim it as their own. Novak Djokovic might be the only player in the Open Era to be in the top 5 list of players on every surface (hardcourt, grass, clay); he has redefined what it means to be versatile. If he beats Federer on sunday could be grass considered his best surface now? I tried to follow my tactics and do what I had to do to win. He goes against the grain, and he does so in a completely different way than most grass players. Not surprisingly, it is Rafael Nadal who had the best winning percentage - 90.98% - in this period on clay. His game is entirely suited for the surfacehis heavy forehand breaks down fellow-baseliners and his retrieval skills make the court seem small for competitors. "First of all, it was very strange in Paris, to be in the opposing box. Fewer injuries: Lowest impact on the body. 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. Neither fast nor slow, this intermediary surface presents very few disadvantages. He is also an excellent defender, which allows him to win a lot of long rallies. Novak Djokovic comes in at No. 6, Feliciano Lopez at No. 3 on this list, with Rafael Nadal not making the top 10 due to the minimum cut-off of 50 matches being used. Earlier in the season, he won the Adelaide 1 and Australian Open titles. The Serb is on a roll in this tournament, and if he wins his first title, he will become the first man in the Open era to win four Grand Slams in a row. Now we know that grass is a fast surface, and players know how to adjust their game accordingly. But, prior to Roger Federer's run to the 2012 title at the All-England Club, he was clearly the most dominant player on Wimbledon grass. One may wonder, why is that exactly? Nadal has had a long-running rivalry with Roger Federer, dating back to their early days as 14-year-olds. Novak is always the most popular choice. Being the most common surface on the professional tennis tour, hard courts are essential to master for any aspiring pro player. On hard courts, where he has been the more dominant player in the last few years, he has a winning percentage of 77%. They were the Big Two, Fedal, the greatest rivalry yet in tennis history and the greatest players the sport had ever seen. Maybe his performance in the first round was not that great, but he improves his tennis as matches go by." Despite Nadals overall dominance, Djokovic leads the field on clay (.727 to Nadals.560), winning more titles (.727 to Nadals.560). This on hard courts is a little bit less probable to happen. 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. How To Choose The Right Tennis Racquet Length, The Importance Of Keeping Your Tennis Shoes In Good Condition. Roger Federer's hard-court and grass-court career records stand by the top of the indices. The international tennis federation (IFT) regulates and classifies these different tennis court surfaces by their theoretical speed. Grass courts. But following a 6-4, 6-4 defeat to Daniil Medvedev, the World No. How could anyone root for that guy. This year at Wimbledon, grass courts were only used. "There are a lot of great athletes, but I would need to say, Novak (when asked to name the best mover)," added the Italian. 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. I wouldn't say grass is Djokovic's best surface, but he's playing in a time where it almost enhances his play style and together with the way he improved his serve after 2010, plus some clutch performances, he has been very successful indeed. I actually lean towards yes. The way he plays and attacks is similar toSampras at Wimbledon and Andre Agassi at the U.S. Open (though he has won just as many, if not more, titles than they respectively did). Is Novak Djokovic the best clay court player ever? Murray has die hard fans? Improving: The best surface to improve as a tennis player. Novak Djokovics dominance on clay has been the defining feature of his career. Djokovic said that he is "50-50" on going to the Tokyo Olympics. In fact, he has also done considerably better in the hard-court Masters Series tournaments than the clay ones. expressed his dismay by the defeat of youngsters at the Australian Open but was more than happy to see Stanislas Wawrinka reaching the quarterfinals. I didn't have any extra motivation or increased desire to win because I was challenging an Australian tennis player. He started coaching Maria Sharapova (though she quickly fired him) and previously worked with Andy Roddick to try to incorporate his aggressive mentality and style into the games of those top stars. Thanasi Kokkinakis bowed out in the second round of Wimbledon 2022, losing to Novak Djokovic 6-7 (7-4) 6-2. Price: Clay courts are cheaper to construct. Much like the Australian Open who was played on grass until 1988, the US Open became a hard court tournament in 1978. In connection with his performance on the same surface of this competition, Djokovic has a composed 240-32 record in the last years on hard. His 11 titles in Roland Garros and 57 titles on clay courts are an all-time record. 'Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic went over the edge,' says Patrick Mouratoglou, Novak Djokovic counts to 1250 and moves closer to Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic: Probably no Serbia Open in 2024, Ion Tiriac wants his licence back, ATP Acapulco: Taro Daniel scores first top-10 win despite beating Novak Djokovic, ATP Dubai: Lorenzo Sonego keeps Rafael Nadal in top-10, Dominic Thiem: I'm constantly thinking of a life beyond tennis, Novak Djokovic joins Roger Federer, Pete Sampras on exclusive list. Who has won more, Roger Federer 11 or Daniele Lindley 9? From 100Mph, the ball will travel at 92Mph after bouncing on the grass. Despite this, he is extremely quick and can stretch, as well as becoming extremely effective on grass due to his sheer determination. He hopes to be able to turn out at Wimbledon this year after being barred from the 2022 event. Speaking at his press conference after the 4-6, 4-6 loss, the 22-time Grand Slam champion revealed his plans for the coming days, stating that he was still waiting to hear whether he would be able to play in the upcoming Sunshine Double in the United States. One shot is all it takes sometimes to end the point with a winner on the fast surfaces. I felt so bad, Novak [Djokovic] also felt very bad. Novak is always a favorite because he is so well-liked. Bjorn Borg was similar to Nadalhe was quick, knew how to get out of tough situations and did not miss balls. 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. Camila Giorgi enchants Instagram with a cowgirl outfit! I like grass but its a very tough surface, its a little bit tougher than hard courts, and thats where I think Novak is amazing winning so many grass-court tournaments, he told Eurosport. Not just that, but he was also an immaculate athlete on the indoor courts. How To Choose The Right Tennis Racquet Length, The Importance Of Keeping Your Tennis Shoes In Good Condition. Djokovic, as a result, has a quick reaction time and can change directions without waiting for a response. Please logout and login again. Nadal has won 62 clay court titles, nearly twice as many as Borg had in his lifetime. The Moscow tennis player also took revenge from the blow he suffered at the Australian Open at the beginning of the year. However, many experts believe that Djokovic plays best on faster courts such as hard courts and indoor courts. Flying below radar has served Simona Halep well. Serb Novak Djokovic holds a winning percentage of 87.4% on clay courts, making him the best player in the world. Novak Djokovic is an incredibly fast athlete with success on all courts. In fact, Djokovic has won Wimbledon twice and he is the reigning Wimbledon champion. There is no excuse for Nadal is just too overwhelming. If he played more Queens-halle, he would loose there on a regular basis, but clay is his preferred surface. Many players do get injured playing on hard courts. In most cases, GOAT debates are devoid of substance. Your login session has expired. Relative to the field he definitely is better on grass than HC these days. Fewer mistakes: Make the judge's job easier thanks to the marks left by the ball. 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. For reprint rights: Times Syndication Service. This surface consists of a rubber court cover and is essentially used for practice. That's how it is here, unfortunately. Growing up, Novak Djokovic never played on grass courts. What prevented him from fulfilling his dream was the Russian, who clearly beat him in the final of the US Open last month. Acrylic-topped, this surface offers the most consistent ball bounce of all the outdoor tennis courts. Vajda said. For you to understand how important a tennis court surface can be, grass courts are the perfect example. A few years ago, as a child, I was dreaming of winning Wimbledon, so like every child, you dream of doing something crazy when you actually achieve it if you do and that was one of the things you did. 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. Flying below radar has served. Federer is regarded as one of the greatest grass court players of all time, and many tennis analysts consider grass to be his best surface. The main one resides in the fact that its a very demanding surface for players articulations. The carpet surface was just the right blend for him to attack on his own serve-and-volley as well as return serve and defend. Their head-to-head record was 730 when Nadal retired from the French Open in 2016, citing a left wrist injury. The 35-year-old Djokovic - the world's top-ranked player - is now unbeaten in 14 matches this year. 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. 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. Federer and Sampras will have a better resume than him on grass, unless he wins 4 extra Wimbledon titles. 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. The declined state of tour and ability on grass has helped Novak win 3 wimbledons I will admit. Djokovic's grass court record is WAY better than his actual grass court game. If you want to be successful on clay courts, patience and a strategic mind will go a long way in terms of game. Djokovic has won four Wimbledon titles and has reached the final six times, including five consecutive years from 2014 to 2018. The 34-year-old has won eight of the past 12 majors he has played, and will be the heavy . 7, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga at No. You need to learn the differences each surface will make on the rebound heights, the trajectories, the spins, and the overall game plan. Found mostly in Europe and South-America, clay tennis courts are the dream surface for baseline players. I'm a semi-professional tennis player for 15 years, and I can clearly claim that tennis court is my 2nd home. Kevin Fitzgerald is a tennis coach based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He has won Wimbledon three times and is the current world No. That's just my confidence, that's just what I bring to the table.". Our relationship is still very good. Serb Novak Djokovic holds a winning percentage of 87.4% on clay courts, making him the best player in the world. Point construction: Clay courts are the best surface to learn how to construct a point properly. There are however some tournaments still being held on carpet courts such as the. djokovic best surface. My performance was really satisfying. "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. Currently ranked at No 8, Nadal will exit the top 10 on March 20 for the first. Roger Federer in the last four grand slams: Lew put down whatever you are smoking and watch a replay of AO 2016 -SF. The 35-year-old revealed that they were an important part of why he kept on playing, so that he could give them a "good feeling" when they came to watch him compete. why was carrie's sister dropped from king of queens . He has now won nineteen majors, just one. Today there has been a lot of respect and that is the most important thing. All about the most admired couples in tennis. 2, with Andy Murray, Dominic Thiem and David Ferrer rounding out the top 5. "It always takes something extra to win a point against those two. Novaks traditional grass court game is very poor. Pre-Wimbledon is the period of time leading up to the start of the Wimbledon tennis tournament. Did you know that the US Open used to be played on clay courts? Kevin now writes for several tennis related blogs and magazines. "Roland Garros is the most open it has been in the last 10-15 years. He has been playing flawless tennis and looks very very unbeatable on his favourite surface. So remember, if you want to be a complete player, clay courts are where you should practice. Its common knowledge that the tennis court surfaces highly influence the bounce of a tennis ball. Much better than the level expressed in the first round match. Roger Federer has won more Grand Slam titles than any other male tennis player, making him the most successful tennis player of all time. Novak Djokovic is one of the best tennis players in the world and he is especially dominant on grass courts. He is a 5-time champion for two reasons: Djokovic's grass court record is WAY better than his actual grass court game. Wimbledon titles have been won by the All England Club four times in a row since 2007, setting a new record. Im just going to wait for it and hopefully, I can play Wimbledon this year and show some great results.. As one of the favorites for this years Wimbledon, Medvedev ranked Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer among the best grass players of his generation. Can you imagine the difference it would make on a 150Mph John Isner serve? ", 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'. He has won three consecutive Wimbledon titles, the last of which was in 2011. "Some players like the hype and pressure and perform better with it, whereas others prefer to go under the radar more." Borg was incredibly frustrating to play against, as he naturally knew where to move and at what times. 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 . Just a few days ago, he confirmed that hell play in Paris, Turin, and the Davis Cup. 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. He also did not have the best fitness regime, so he tried to get the points over as quickly as possible. A hard court is played differently than a quick grass court because it is faster and plays a much different game. What adjustments to your game do you need to make? The former World No 1 believes that it only takes coming up against a player serving well to see a player forced into winning tiebreaks to stay in a match. Several big servers and attacking players make the top 10, with John Isner at No. In 28 of their 59 matches on clay, he has won 28, while only two have been on hard courts. He was an incredible attacking player, beat people with his status and attitude, won many hard-court matches and continued to play well into his older years. Bjorn Borg is Novaks main rival in the horse race. I sincerely hope that this article helped clarify the differences between these types of tennis courts. 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. What are the pros and cons of each tennis surfaces? People need to grow up here. Check here, Be the first one to comment on this story. In the end, it all comes down to personal preferences, but clay is often regarded as the best surface. Within hours of the defeat, the Serb had turned his attention to the next task at hand -- beating his arch-rival Rafael Nadal on clay. 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. Medvedev faces Djokovic in the hard court Dubai Tennis Championships semi-final on Friday evening. Djoker is clearly dominant on any surface with any bounce or speed. But his coaching ability may not prove to be so great simply because the way he took to the hard courts and attacked in matches is not entirely teachable. He is the best player on Grass over the last few years but HC is where he is best. And with the sport being unique, in that there are several court surfaces, it makes the game even more challenging and difficult to shine. Djokovic is having his weakest year re both games and points on all surface this year since 2010 with the exception of 2017, for obvious reasons, and 2018, which was a bizarre year. Grass, Clay, Carpet, and Hard courts (seriously guys, we just covered this). "Incredible mover on all the surfaces." Roger Federer doesn't figure in the top 10 of this list, since the cut-off used for it was a minimum of 100 matches played on the surface during the period. Djokovic has a very powerful and aggressive game that allows him to take control of points and dictate play. What's wrong with some people who only feel the need to throw petty sarcasm and act immature rather than simply answering the question. 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. (Federer has played 96). Noleis able to crack the ball better in the hard-court tournaments, and his career win-loss record in them is staggering. 2011-2020 best winning % indoorFederer 83.50Djokovic 82.50del Potro 79.27Murray 76.56Nadal 75.47Nishikori 72.04Tsonga 71.01Medvedev 70.00Berdych 68.27Monfils 67.59Min 50 matches, How did Novak Djokovic meet Jelena Ristic? Tennis beauty Maria Sharapova looks stunning in a bathrobe! Andy Murray only wins 60 percent on his. Even players who are not particularly talented (such as Nick Kyrgios) dont care about grass, and its the worst surface for them all. 2011-2020: best winning % on grassDjokovic 90.14Federer 87.50Murray 87.01Cilic 75.00Isner 72.31Raonic 70.00Lopez 69.33Tsonga 68.97Nishikori 68.52Mahut 65.63Min 50 matches. Novak Djokovic has finally given some positive news regarding his participation in the ATP tour. The stats reveal that Novak Djokovic had the best wining percentage on grass, even better than Roger Federer, who has an Open Era record 19 grasscourt titles. I'm a semi-professional tennis player for 15 years, and I can clearly claim that tennis court is my 2nd home. His ability to move and slide on the hard courts makes him a threat, and his groundstrokes have a certain bite on this surface that allows him to neutralize his opponents. Overall, Federer has more Grand Slam titles than Djokovic, but the Serb is the clear favorite to win the ATP World Tour Finals. Lets dig into the characteristics of this surface. Flavia Pennetta: "Novak Djokovic is always number 1! High maintenance: Requires a lot of brushing, watering, and rolling. Durability: The longest-lasting of the tennis court surfaces. His ability to move quickly and efficiently and stretch out is astounding, and his determination has made him invaluable on grass. We are changing more and more tournaments from clay to hard surfaces but the hard surface is more aggressive so there are more and more injuries. Djokovic has a very powerful and aggressive game that allows him to take control of points and dictate play.