Why Tennis Players Fear Playing Novak Djokovic!

Pounding hearts, sweaty palms, cramping muscles, nerves all over the place. Almost 300 opponents have had Novak Djokovic on the other side of the court and they all felt the same way. This is why tennis players fear playing Novak Djokovic. The Joker has won over 1050 ATP matches, 23 Grand Slam titles and literally everything in our beloved sport. From being a tactical genius to employing some of the biggest mental strength secrets, Djokovic has given opponents plenty of reasons to be scared of him. At the very top of our list is Djokovic's ability to analyze opponents on the go. You will be hard pressed to find any other player that studies opponent's strengths, weaknesses, patterns and playing styles like Nole. So many players are pretty much confused on what to do to beat the Serbian. His obvious ability to adapt to any situation leaves players on edge and helpless. His forehands and backhands are super accurate and allow him to hit winners from anywhere on the court. So what are opponents left to deal with? Do you try to shorten points or come to the net more often to stand a better chance? Or do you stay back and try to out-muscle Djokovic from the baseline? Well, Tommy Paul tried the net approach at the Australian Open semis earlier this year. Encouraged by his coach, he tried to serve and volley but could only do so about four times in a set. After the match, Tommy complained that Djokovic never gave him any short balls to work with. Stefanos Tsitsipas tried the exact same thing in the AO final and his goal was to approach the net at least 15 times per set, but he barely made one third of that number before attempting to change strategy. The precision, power and depth with which the Serbian hits balls means that net play is mostly ineffective against him. Nole anticipates shots and reacts to them faster than anybody else. If you decide to stretch him from side to side and put him on the run in an attempt to force the issue, you're at risk of getting passed because Nole is easily the best returner out there. So he's likely to get those balls even when they are inch perfect. So let's try the other route, grinding from the baseline. One of the most amazing things about Djokovic's ground strokes is the consistency. Nole often dominates the shorter rallies where points last six shots or less, as seen at this year's Australian and French Opens and in previous years. Why is that the case? It all boils down to high tennis IQ and ability to read players like an open book. For those who manage to make the rallies longer, like Rafael Nadal, they might stand a chance if they manage to find consistency, but that is often not the case. Nick Kyrgios tried to be the aggressor at the 2022 Wimbledon. It did give him more winners, but he sprayed twice as many errors and couldn't keep up with the pace. You see, any player can make a good shot, but it takes the right combination of tactical, technical and emotional intelligence to make opponents dance to your tune. Other players have tried to adjust their return position much closer to the baseline in an attempt to match power with power. Paul Garun has managed to do this twice and really, it isn't a bad idea in three set matches, but in five setters it is a different thing because he will surely disrupt your rhythm and no one else would have the stamina to keep up with the joker. This brings us to the second reason players get scared of playing Novak. Djokovic is an outlier among athletes when it comes to stamina. He is a phenomenon. By investing in his diet, physical conditioning, and paying attention to the tiniest details in his body, Djokovic has been able to separate himself from the rest of the pack. A couple of years back, Andy Roddick admitted that Nole first takes out your legs before taking your soul. Knowing that he has the physical edge over you, Djokovic is very much willing to extend many points and grind opponents down. At 36 years of age, he remains a physical specimen thanks to endurance drills and strength training. So, what do you make of a guy who pressures you relentlessly and just never slows down during a game? Must be demoralizing. The Serbian follows a strict gluten-free diet, practices a variety of breathing techniques, and also incorporates yoga and mindfulness into his fitness regimen. He always sleeps before midnight, starts his day with a glass of lemon water, takes lots of wholesome meals, and does all the seemingly boring stuff, but it has paid dividends and no one can argue against this approach. But apart from being a strategist and having the physical edge, opponents often attribute this next point as the biggest reason they hate playing the Serb. Tennis is a mental sport as much as it is a physical sport, and Djokovic knows it better than anyone else. But let's address this issue from two angles. What he does to himself and what he does to other tennis players. The Serbian admits that everything happens in the mind, and he feels that this is the deciding factor that separates good players from the very best in the game. He has this indomitable spirit that no matter how long the game goes on, he is ready to give it his all. This man never gives up, and that's terrifying. He says that there is no specific formula to the whole mind thingy, but what matters most is the self-belief that he is better than the other guy at the opposite side of the court. For someone who pays attention to every single thing, including the color of his outfit while playing, it is simply crazy. Case in point, the Joker played Roger Federer in 50 good matches, and for many of those matches, the crowd often chanted Roger. But Novak said that each time the crowd sang his rival's praises, he heard his name and not Federer's, and he turned that to an advantage, an extra motivation to win. In many ways, he flipped the switch mentally and shifted the pressure to Roger Federer, and I'm sure many of us know the outcome of the 2014, 2015, and 2019 Wimbledon Finals. It is for this very reason that Novak has set himself apart as Mr. Clutch. No other player has won a higher percentage of tiebreaks than the Serbian in the Open era. He has won 66% of tiebreaks he has played in. According to Nole, the more times he faces adversity, the more he gains the experience needed to deal with it. He revealed that everything changed for him when he decided to accept any situation he found himself in. By acknowledging his fears, ego, and beliefs, he has been able to address circumstances and transform situations into positivity and fearlessness in clutch moments. But enough of what he does to himself. What does Novak do to his opponents mentally? Well, his biggest rivals know better than anyone else, but Djokovic's opponents, playing him is like taking a trip to Las Vegas and gambling away your last penny, knowing deep down that the house always wins. Occasional winners in good point constructions and even a first set triumph make you believe that a win is around the corner. But in the end, it is nothing but a well-constructed illusion created to push you further away from success, damaging the last shreds of hope you had. Almost 100 times in total, Djokovic has come from one or two sets down to win the match and in doing so, crushing the spirit of his opponents. Doesn't that border on insanity? It is easy to see an intriguing pattern emerging. The Serbian knows that not many players want to play him, especially in a Grand Slam, so what he does is to condition his players to play into his hands by using their fear against them. He's the kind of guy that could play to your stronger wing or strength just to defeat you. This fosters fear, stokes hesitation, and prevents players from fully being themselves on the court. The most recent example was when the nerves, fear, and adrenaline kicked in as Carlos Alcaraz played Novak at the French Open semis. While a few players have a high tennis IQ and even fewer exceptional tennis EQ, Novak Djokovic clearly has both. His breathing techniques and mindset help him to remain composed and limit emotional outbursts to the bare minimum. Emotionally, it's tougher for other players. We've seen many of the new generation players crack under the pressure. With Wimbledon already around the corner, opponents and their coaches would no doubt be having a hard time figuring out what to do if they were to face the Serbian. Do you see anyone else winning Wimbledon with Novak in the picture? Personally, I don't and I hope my opinion ages because it would be great to see him get closer to achieving the calendar grand slam. But for now, let's take a step back from the predictions and take the time to appreciate what the Serbian has brought to the sport. Djokovic is the ultimate percentage player, and his study, hard work, mentality, and emotional intelligence have driven him to become the very best in the game. If there is a player worth studying or some sort of reference for training younger and upcoming players, it is easy to see Djokovic being the case study. His opponents know that solid game plan and the best of efforts do not guarantee a win, except the Serbian has a really bad day at the office. But talking about fear, here's why Djokovic was never scared of facing Roger Federer.