So it was somewhat surprising when, in his second-round victory over Frances Tiafoe at the Australian Open , he clocked up a personal best of 26 aces. It is an impressive number at the best of times, but more so when you consider that at the other end was Tiafoe, one of the better returners at his level and with the quickness to get to most balls.
Initially Djokovic noted the speed of the court in Melbourne, this being the second year since they took on a new court manufacturer. Temperatures helped both men, well over 30 degrees in the height of the afternoon, allowing the ball to fly through the air and off the court quicker than ever.
In terms of ace rate percentage of first serves that were aces , his victory over Tiafoe was his third best serving performance ever at the Australian Open, where he has now won 77 matches. The only two occasions on which his first serve was even more effective were both last year, against Tatsuma Ito and Yoshihito Nishioka in consecutive rounds. Indeed, of his top 10 serving performances in Melbourne, five have come either this year or last, a sample size of just nine matches out of the 85 he has played there.
In , after struggling for several years with an elbow problem, he was forced to retire from a Wimbledon quarter-final and subsequently had surgery on the issue. In the aftermath, during which he required a second procedure during rehab, he rebuilt his serve after analysis showed that his previous motion was putting undue strain on his arm, back and hips, probably accounting for the injury.
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Address List. Manchester, UK [email protected]. Social Networks. Facebook Twitter Instagram Youtube Pinterest. Links List. Average First Serve Speed. Fastest Serve Speed. It dropped down to kmph against Tsitsipas.
And the serves in his final two service games had an effect on the mark. Djokovic started to serve with less pace and more kick ball jumps up after the bounce on it. The speed had dropped to the s the slowest measured at kmph , instead of the s and s he had been serving in the previous games his fourth set average was kmph. The Djokovic second serve is what an opponent can target, especially when desperately looking to win back a break.
And the Serb did not have a stellar record on second serve throughout the tournament. In the six matches before the final, Djokovic served second serves, winning of them at 55 per cent. Therefore, in the final stages of the match, when Djokovic needed to simply hold his two remaining service games, he decided to reduce the pace to ensure the ball landed inside the box and Tsitsipas would have no looks at a second serve.
So Tsitsipas cannot change his stance, you can only react. Djokovic sent a kmph serve on the first point while serving for the title. He sent a strong kmph wide on match point, which got a weak sliced return.
The year-old is one of the best defenders the game has seen and arguably the greatest mover. His groundstrokes are just as impeccable.
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