3 factors crucial to Novak Djokovic's success at French Open 2022
Top seed and World No. 1 Novak Djokovic will start as one of the favorites at the upcoming French Open, which gets underway on his 35th birthday on Sunday.
Fresh off his triumph at the Italian Open last week, a record-equalling 21st Grand Slam title beckons the Serb in Paris. With Rafael Nadal struggling with a foot injury, it is a great chance for the Serb to notch up his third title on the red dirt of Paris.
Le tenant du titre affiche son ambition 🗣️👇
@DjokerNole #RolandGarros https://t.co/ApjuNhZ2ig
On that note, let’s take a look at three factors that will be crucial for the Serb to win the title at Roland Garros:
#1 Being at his clinical and accurate best
Novak Djokovic is known to wear his opponents down by playing clinical and accurate tennis throughout the match. He keeps putting the ball inside his opponent's court and waits for the latter to commit a mistake.
This strategy has paid dividends for the Serb over the years and there is no reason why he should deviate from it. If his performance at the Italian Open is any indication, the Serb is gradually getting closer to his clinical best. For example, he committed only two unforced errors in the second set against Aslan Karatsev and 13 in the entire match against Stan Wawrinka.
Moreover, in his loss to Carlos Alcaraz in Madrid, Djokovic committed only 31 unforced errors in a grueling three-set match, compared to 57 by his opponent. These are ominous signs for the rest of the field, and the Serb will take some beating on the red clay at Roland Garros.
#2 Capitalizing on the improvement in his serve and his ability to hit slices and drop shots
Novak Djokovic’s serve has improved considerably since Goran Ivanisevic, one of the biggest servers of his generation, joined the former’s coaching staff. His serve now bails him out of difficult situations as he repeatedly showed during his match against Alcaraz in Madrid.
Djokovic’s serve should help him save the majority of break points throughout the Paris Major. Moreover, his ability to play sumptuous drop shots and slices should also act as an advantage. He played his drop shots to good effect in the semifinals against Nadal at last year’s French Open.
Drop shots and slices usually allow the World No. 1 to take subsequent shots from his opponent from an advanced court position. He can then unleash his forehand to finish the point as his forehand is more effective and lethal from an advanced position.
#3 Utilizing his most potent weapons
Aside from the above, Djokovic should also have no problem putting his usually potent weapons to good use in the tournament. The Serb is one of the greatest returners of all time and will look forward to punishing the second serve of his opponents on a regular basis at Roland Garros. He toyed with second serves from the likes of Wawrinka and Karatsev at the Italian Open.
Djokovic is also among the strongest mentally, and usually performs at his best during key moments in a match. He demonstrated his mental toughness recently by winning a very close tie-break against Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final in Rome.
Moreover, his backhand, one of the most effective shots in tennis, seems to be working well as he has hit down-the-line winners off it at regular intervals in recent tournaments. He should also engage in frequent crosscourt backhand exchanges with his opponents at the French Open. The precision and effectiveness of the shot is likely to wear down the majority of his opponents.
Also Check Out :- French Open 2022 Results