IMO , when Novak really wants something to be achieved and he's fit to do so , then novak totally turns into a different beast. Every aspect of his game is at the highest level in such matches. Be his FH,BH,serving, receiving,volleying,drop shots, court coverege, hitting unexpected winners etc etc everything is top notch. It becomes almost impossible to beat him once he's really motivated to achieve something. Not one not two not three, there are many instances where novak really wanted to win to achieve greatness and he has won such matches 8 or 9/10 times throughout his career. Not trying to exaggerate but if he wouldn't have injured himself in Roland garros then I'm sure he would've definitely played the final of RG and Wimbledon both and would've won atleast one of them (may be both too). An injured novak on one knee played the finals of the Wimbledon against best player currently in the world. That was still a Stellar job from novak to get to the finals on grass where movement and legs play a huge role. Now coming to the the olypmics final, it was the best 2 sets of tennis I've ever watched. 37 yo vs 21 yo, 16 years age gap and still is was the most physical and mind blowing 2 sets of tennis. Alcaraz was in red hot form and everyone thought that he could've beaten anyone with such high level of tennis he was playing. Not a single aspect of game that carlos had a weak spot, he was just playing too good. He demolished FAA 6-1,6-1 who had beaten meddy and sascha in R4 and quarters. Novak was playing well but still when compared to Carlos' level it was way below his level. But as everyone knows when novak wants it , he brings out his A game and it was an Olympic gold medal which he was hunting from 2008. 4 Olympics and still not a gold/silver for a player like novak wouldn't have done justice to his greatness. When i saw the first two games of the final it was confirmed that Novak is playing for that gold. He and carlos were playing at the same level, hitting the ball as hard as they can and both of them were running around like freaks on the court. As novak always does, he raised his level and came up with mind boggling shot making at the important moments. He raised his game in both the tie breaks which was eventually the difference between the two of them. 3 hours for 2 sets was absolutely madness from both of them, Especially from novak who was struggling with sore knee in the semis. Novak deserved that gold medal , especially for his legendary career. Novak retiring from Tennis without an Olympic gold would've been a shame to tennis. And finally novak and tennis got what they deserved. The GREATEST OF ALL TIME 🐐 has completed tennis and put an end to the doubters and goat debate. I don't think Novak's gonna stop soon. He will go for the US open and atleast one more Wimbledon to claim that record too. I'm absolutely loving the Novak vs alcaraz rivalry which is a Generational battle and the most exciting match up too.Looking at Novak's fitness and his mental strength , he definitely has 2-3 more years of tennis left in him. NOVAK 'THE GOAT' DJOKOVIC 🐐👑 🇷🇸
@@OnlineTennisInstruction yes sir that's why I mentioned Novak wins 8 or 9/10 of such matches and not all matches. Federer in 2011 RG, Wawrinka in 2015 RG final and alcaraz in 2023 Wimbledon are some examples
@@omkarop1834 Stanimal vs Novak - Still my favorite Gladiator battles in Tennis. Notable Mention to the 6hr AO Final vs Rafa (I don't think Rafa ever fully recovered from that, lol)
Excellent analysis Florian … I agree totally with you about this being a high quality match, by both, stellar stuff…IMO Novak may have “wanted” this match just a bit more, especially at this stage of his career.
I will be surprised if Alcaraz didn’t realize that Djokovic was way below his best at the Wimbledon finals. It was a decoy match by the crafty Djokovic which paid off when he needed a win most.
@@kendaddi5857 You are right . One thing missing . Novak haters provided informations to Alcaraz many times . After Wimbledon , haters thought Djokovic is over . So , they did not look any more for informations . Alcaraz went relaxed on match because of it . Navratilova failed Alcaraz this time . Many haters even now do not think Djoković is the great . I read their comments . Alcaraz as a next champion should think for himself . He is capable for that . And also , je should not be a weapon on haters hands . Haters are not friends for a long time .
My observation of Novak over the years is that he figures out difficult opponents, especially when losing against them. Then, when he has figured you out, he goes ahead on the H2H from then on. The competitor in Novak then begins to dominate the match-up.
@@shanewalsh7388 Novak rarely loses to the same person two times in a row - it happens , but not often- especially if he is healthy. He has the best tennis brain, imo.
I've compared Novak's ability to someting similar to the Alpha Mimics in 'Edge of Tomorrow' - he has the ability to reset the clock and then he knows what his opponent is going to do and is ready for it.
Yes, it's true, he loses to some young player and people are saying NEXT GEN!!!! But eventually he ends up with positive H2H , Zverev, Tsitsipas, Rune, Khachanov
My amateur view is that Novak recently has been playing to defensively and allowed all the players like Sinner to force mistakes, what you did here was play at full power and as we can see how close the match was he needed every bit of power which made Alcaraz force mistakes only a few but just enough to win the match. Plus or should I say it had nothing to lose and Alcaraz Taken by surprise by his power and didn’t have time to adapt over just 2 sets . Playing at such effort it would be properly fair to say that over five sets he would’ve lost energy and all Garage would have come back and won . Congrats to Novak but we are all now aching to see how he copes with the others if he plays more majors
I’m a Carlos fan swimming in a sea of Novak piranhas but this doesn’t phase me. I like your analysis and also like the acknowledgment of Carlos’ considerable skills at age 21. The best matches I’ve seen are when these two players are at their peak mentally or physically.
It being a best of 3 set match instead of 5 was a factor imo as well, both physically and psychologically to help Novak to prevail. Alcarez died by the sword of being super aggressive with unforced errors at crucial times. It was an unbelievably good match.
I agree. A possible 5 set match can really change the dynamics of the match
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Novak shows better service, better backend and he changes tactics, he stays in points, does not play much serve and volley. Alcaraz was afraid of Novak's service, he waited serve and volley but Novak gave him just a bit now or then to mess with his position on retern. The biggest mistake of Novak's opponents is to wait for his mistakes when he is in good form. Gooood night 😂
I would disagree in one thing. Novak's forehand has been undermined, but it's actualy a masterpiece. It's so consistent and accurate, goes high over the net which is a safer shot to play, plus western grip adds more rpm on the ball, which makes it heavy. And when you see that Nole hits much more winners on his forehand altough his backhand is the best in the world, that says everything. Not to mention change of direction, hitting forehand winners down the line. I'm not saying that his forehand is the best out there, but it's much better than the most watchers think.
I agree with you and don't think I said anything different. His forehand is excellent these days. However, it is not one of the best 3 forehands on tour. That was my point
Great analysis. I think alcaraz underestimated novak. As for novak, ever since his humiliating loss at Wimbledon finals, the only thing novak was planning was how to defeat alcaraz. He knew that there was an 80 to 90 % chance that he would meet alcaraz in the finals ( if he himself made it that far). In case he did not reach the finals, it would all be meaningless anyway, who he lost to. So his entire focus was defeating alcaraz and he planmed accordingly.
That's y goats do not usually lose to the same.e opponent twice in a row ( except the big 3). Even a washed outnadal did not lose to deminaur twice. And deminaur is no slouch.
Exzellent analysis, it was a real masterclass by Supernovak! About the mental game, one thing i found really interesting before they entered the court: Carlos did his Nadal-style shadow tennis behind Novak's back, and then walked past him and gave him a friendly look from the side, like he wanted to greet him or was expecting a look of recognition. However, Novak completely ignored him. I thought that was the first little poke at Alcaraz' ego. The second was how strong and aggressive Novak started, and the third was how he upped his game in the tiebreak and came up with those forehand winners.
Great synopsis of the match. The greatest inspiration for me is how these guys have continued to work on their games. In Federer's movie 15 days he mentions he thought Djokovic's forehand was a liability. To see such great players continue to work on their games makes me want and do the same regardless of ability.
@@OnlineTennisInstruction First off I remember participating in your clinic almost 10 years ago at Indian wells and it was a game changer. As for what I'm working on the answer is everything. I dropped 35 pounds over the last 2 years. I had no idea what a gamechanger fitness would be at the amateur level. I'm at the weight I was at age 38. As for strokes I've worked on each one with Tom Allsopp since August of last year. I listed worst stroke to best and keep running notes in google docs. I've gotten better by a small percentage in many of the strokes which adds up to big gains. In fact in my USTA 4.0 18 and over league I've beaten 2 guys in their 20s and have a winning record this year. At age 57. It can be done! I've also gotten much better at doubles because most of my 50 plus friends don't want to play singles. I now love both singles and doubles.
You didn't mentioned the return games. It seems to me that the return game is the huge differentiator in this match. In the 9th game of the first set, Alcaraz had 5 or 6 break points, and couldn't capitalize. Alcaraz was too passive in his returns, standing 20 feet back in the entire match, even on the 2nd serves. While Djokovic hugged the baseline and hit the amazing backhand return winner in the tiebreak. Do you think that Alcaraz could have benefitted by varying his return positioning somewhat, perhaps come closer on 2nd serves? Basically, on pressure points, Djokovic's returns put lots of pressure on Alcaraz, but Alcaraz's deep back returning position put little or no pressure on Djokovic. It seems to me that's the main reason Alcaraz failed to claim his numerous break opportunities, and failed miserably in the two tiebreaks.
he needs to add more weight to his frame for slow high bouncing courts. not an issue at indian wells because he stands in to return but is way too far back at monte carlo, roland Garros and rome too. i know he won RH but it wasn't easy and a light frame isn't the solution from deep positions. nadal added significant amount of weight to his later in his career for more power and stability
Interesting point. I don't think he necessarily needs to stand in closer. Keep in mind that Nadal dominated on clay forever returning from that deep. However, mixing up the return position certainly could have forced Novak to think a little bit more about how and where he serves. Overall, I feel like it was not as much weak returning by Alcaraz in general. Instead, he simply did not return and play well enough on the biggest points.
@@OnlineTennisInstruction True, but Nadal was able to impart heavy spin even with a lighter frame but he spent all day running earlier in his career (2005-07). the net result was he was burnt out by the indoor season. And he beefed up his swing weight later in his career to generate more power from deep positions and be more offensive as well. Alcaraz does not have an issue in Madrid where conditions are faster, almost like the way federer played there vs monte carlo. look at the forced error stat and depth of carlos strokes. he was way too short and his forehand on average lacked penetration. Plus at Wimbledon or the USO his backhand is far more effective. not here. that also means he was not able to plant his feet well due to novak and also his own errors
I see your point. But Nadal is kind of unique because he plays with tons of topspin and he can place his returns anywhere on the court. Federer on the other hand, never stands more than a couple of feet from the baseline because his playing style simply does not allow him to play from far back. In Nadal's prime, it was difficult for anyone to try to serve and volley on Nadal even though he stands far back. Alcaraz's topspin is somewhere between Nadal and Federer, so he probably shouldn't stand as far back as Nadal. Especially when Djokovic serve-n-volleyed on him for a string of points with ease, he probably could have varied his return stance and tried something different. Indeed Alcaraz did not return very well, he even made quite a few UFEs on returns. But if something did not work well, why staying with it for the whole match? Why none of his superstar coaching team would suggest to him perhaps to try to take the ball early on some of the 2nd serves?
@@alpinescope4441 Exactly, if he isn't comfortable staying close to the baseline on clay and he doesn't do that on grass and hard, he takes both 1st and 2nd serves aggressively and close to the baseline. i mean he can stand back on clay but he has to make equipment adjustments. its a process, takes time to adjust on all surfaces. but he is more than capable.
And Djokovic overhead shots ...not effective at times during critical points as he does not change directions in open court during overhead...where Sampras did very well with the overhead shots in 90s...
very well said!! 99% of my thoughts on all of the subjects mentioned here!.. will put it simply, it took me around 5 years back at those times, just to learn how to relax myself and my hand and my head especially, when playing official game and not only on training, where I was a totally different player..at training's that is!..this things can actually cannot be teach so easily, however when you have this two individuals who were trained to the maximum at any possible means, sometimes it is a bit bigger than that...especially that 1% which belongs to some strange forces above..
2:38 Why Djokovic was able to play better in the Olympics 2024 Final compared to Wimbledon 2024 Final 7:46 What we can learn from these players (4 aspects) 7:54 Technique 14:16 Strategy/tactics 24:39 Footwork 25:44 Mental toughness 29:26 What does the future look like for Alcaraz, Djokovic, and other players (like Sinner)?
Physics is very important here. Compared to Federer, Nadal and Alcaraz, Novak has a leaner constitution, he is significantly more flexible and has less muscular legs. His predispositions: - less heavy/accurate serve (weak chest and calf muscles, long skinny arms) - less heavy/accurate forehand but accurate 2-handed backhand (long skinny arms) - fast-moving and changing directions (skinny, long limbs), - slightly worse balance (height and long limbs) - less prone to spending his cartilage and less pressure on his joints. But of course, throughout his career, he immensely improved. By mastering sliding and percentage play he improved balance and accuracy. He did bulk himself a bit to hit more heavily, but slightly sacrificed his speed in the process (it is not only because he got old). Improved his technique. Conscious breathing, meditation, and arguing with random individuals in the crowd improved his focus and determination... Mastering variety, tactics and strategy made him win matches even when he was not in good form by winning important points. For his well-balanced tactical, accurate and percentage play he needs more time to adapt to the changing surfaces or conditions or to the new opponent, but when he gets there, he is a class on its own. Sometimes he can be overpowered by a super-aggressive opponent on a great day, but this play is a gamble in the long term.
One more observation on Djokovic ..he has improved his drop shots ..but Djokovic still can improve his drop shots with a more natural feel like Alcaraz and Federer do quite well with their drop shots ..my observation is that Djokovic doesn't move his body a bit forward during his drop shots ...if he improve his body forward movement with feel during his drop shots , he can win more points with more success rate as like Federer with his drop shots...even the foot does not lean forward during his drop shots during neutral points ..during the long rally ..
I don't think he hits many drop shots on the forehand side. He definitely does on the backhand side. Overall, I would say his backhand drop shots are quite effective because he can take the backhand so early and then switching it up to a drop shot leaves very little time for the opponent to react. However, it is generally more difficult to be successful with a backhand drop shot compared to a forehand drop shot. Why? Because all top players have more racket head speed on the forehand and that means the opponent is usually already more on the back foot. In this particular match I think his backhand drop shots were not as effective as usual because he probably thinks they need to be perfect against Alcaraz. Since Carlos is so incredibly fast, Novak maybe tried to hit them too “perfect”. Without taking a closer look, I would not necessarily agree that he does not move the body forward into the drop shots. However, I could be wrong and will keep an eye out for it in the future.
This was a very high intensity match but no where near some of the murderous encounters between him and Nadal in their prime. No way you can put this match ahead of the Aussie open finals 2012. If Alcaraz is surprised at all about Djokovic’s performance it can only be because he is aging and is just recovering from knee surgery. Certainly not because of Djokovic’s level of play. I have watched Djokovic since he hit the circuit. He has survived much tougher battles where he played much better. I am very surprised to hear Sinner has a weakness on his forehand. It’s been analyzed by pundits as one of the best in the circuit.
Well let’s leave to individual opinion. My point is that it was much tougher for Djokovic to prevail in that match than the Olympic finals. There are only two matches where he tore his shirt at the end throughout his career. The Aussie 2012 finals was the first. Both players could not stand during the trophy ceremony. We look forward to how Carlos will handle such long intense matches in future. Certainly they will come with players like Sinner who play at his level also.
I liked the analysis and insights very much, but I don’t agree that sinner like 4 or 5 slams yet Carlos in 20+ slams range. I think Sinner can win much more. The rivalry between the 2 will last a long time.
Good analysis, with one more correction. His service was very good, not the one off the best, until he started working with Todd Martin. That man ruined Djokovic serve to that point that it took two years to get to the previous point before Todd . During Becker and later Ivanisevic years , Djokovic got to the point where is he know concerning his serve game.
I agree that his serve got worse during his time with Todd Martin. I would not agree that it was already very good before that. I would say it was definitely below average for that level of a player. That's why he started with Todd Martin in the first place I believe
This guy has no idea lol. Saying alcraz is abit faster then novak is nuts alcaraz is the fastest tennis player you'll ever see. Novak is slow nowadays very slow.
its not just about Novak. You should talk about Alcaraz positioning which was too far back and repeatedly missing or hitting short when being forced wide, not just that you mention racquet head speed but thats because carlos uses a very light frame compared to novak. the issue on slower clay with a higher bounce is stability of shot. and on return of serve. its not an issue on faster surfaces for Alcaraz where the bounce is lower or even at madrid. Unlike nadal though Alcaraz is an attacking offensive player and has few issues with a lower bounce. in faster conditions with a lighter frame, but just watch how short he was hitting his forehand. lighter frame from deep positions cannot generate consistent length. novak on the other hand created heavy spin and pace, and Carlos could not generate pace either especially in slower conditions from deep or high positions .
@@marlenebuls9535 Yes, but what happened in the tie breaks was a microcosm of the entire match. remember when i wrote that Novak needed to win the short and medium rallies. he did, but i didn't realize how far back Alcaraz was standing. on clay with a light racquet? and hitting everything short with spin in the middle of the court? suicidal. plus getting forced into errors because he was so deep and couldn't generate power. Not the case at Wimbledon or on hard. we will see how Carlos adapts. Novak deserved to win this hands down (despite carlos 8 Break points).
There is probably a copyright by NBC. But you are welcomed to post the match and if you receive a cease and desist message from their lawyers I was correct in my assumption.
Simply UNDERSTAND that you are SICK of Djokovic and try to proove that he isn't the best and his winning matches are ONLY the mistakes of his oponents... ..YOU ARE ALL BOOOOORIIIING
