Novak Djokovic is the big target in men’s tennis. Younger players want to defeat the 23-time grand slam champion and claim their own majors for a change.
The grass court season may have the fewest tournaments compared to other surfaces, but it contains a grand slam. And though Wimbledon awards the same ranking points as any other major, it is considered the most prestigious tournament.
So how could up-and-coming players possibly challenge Djokovic when none of them have added any grass court specialism to their game?
Young players are not oblivious to this “strategic gap” on grass. Coaches will prepare them as best they can for a successful Halle, Queen’s or Wimbledon. But modern tennis is stacked against them.
Aggressive young players who grew up playing on high-bouncing tarmac or clay courts usually have an extreme western grip to take the ball nearly at shoulder height.
Adapting to grass can be challenging because of its relatively low bounce. The other reason why playing with this extreme grip on grass can be difficult is that it denies players the chance of hitting a flatter ball in rallies which is harder to return.
Most young players don’t serve and volley and don’t have enough skill at the net to win Wimbledon. Yet it remains a crucial shot in the game.
Players do volley when they have to and are drawn into the net. But players rarely actively use volleying to construct a point for three main reasons.
First, hard court speeds have decreased to lengthen matches and increase revenue for tournament organisers and broadcasters.
Second, players are moving faster, which results in better passing shots, so volleying (at least on hard or clay courts) is becoming less of a tactical advantage. Third, players are getting better at returning, which makes effective serve and volley play harder to pull off.
With most of the tour being hard and clay court tournaments, players don’t practice or compete on grass as much as they should.
They are used to a high percentage-based game that relies on establishing a rally, constructing a point, hitting a winner, or waiting for their opponent to make an error.
This strategy has served the greatest tennis players well. To some extent, you can play a cautious high percentage of tennis on the grass for tactical variation.
But on this surface, the player who strikes early and hard is more often rewarded.
Djokovic vs Kyrgios, 2022 Wimbedon Final
Some of these young players could have deep runs in, or even win, a minor grass tournament. But those who want to beat Djokovic and ascend to the highest levels of the sport at Wimbledon must create their own unbeatable grass-court game.
The last two Wimbledon runners-up knew this. Nick Kyrgios (2022) and Matteo Berrettini (2021) were successful in their tournaments because they both have powerful first serves that skid through the court, meaning holding serve was incredibly easy.
Both understood the importance of spin on grass, each possessing a poisonous backhand slice that was tricky to pick up.
Kyrgios, especially, is an instinctive volleyer and can create sharp angles that are impossible to reach on any surface.
Roger Federer was a master of interpreting the geometry of the court – predicting the best place to intercept the opponent’s ball for a volley winner after hitting an approach shot and split-stepping around the service line.
Federer’s serve and volley was unmatched, helping him rack up a succession of points quickly while keeping his opponent guessing about his next moves. Apart from the few players named above, no one on the tour has this consistent skill in the forecourt anymore.
Federer’s Wimbledon Magic
Players traditionally returning from far behind the baseline are used to a long takeback. On the other hand, Djokovic, Kyrgios and Berrettini practised deploying a compact takeback, which takes time away from the server and produces a flatter ball.
It also means the returner can react to the faster ball speeds on grass. Djokovic’s movement and flexibility also enable him to slide on grass, returning very low-bouncing balls on the stretch. Such is Djokovic’s effectiveness at Wimbledon that he hasn’t lost a match there since his 2017 quarter-finals contest against Tomas Berdych.
Besides levelling up their grass-court game, what are younger players meant to do against all these opposing forces?
One thing they can do is look back to Rafael Nadal – particularly his 2008 Wimbledon match against Federer.
Here was a clay court expert who struggled in the 2006 and 2007 finals before overcoming the Swiss in 2008. Nadal took every opportunity to move Federer side-to-side or hit behind him, which kept him off-balance and often forced an error.
He also stayed tight to the baseline, taking the ball earlier than ever, which gave his opponent little time to make the next shot.
Nadal also dominated the crosscourt rallies, making Federer attempt the riskier tactic of hitting down the line across the highest part of the net, which also elicited some errors.
Nadal vs Federer, 2008 Wimbledon Final
Djokovic could be on the brink of achieving further history by tying Federer for the most individual (8) and consecutive (5) Wimbledon titles.
Serious players who want to rival Djokovic must try to construct a decisive grass-court game, even if they spend relatively little competitive time on that surface.
Unless younger names step up to the plate, and with Federer retired, Djokovic will surely be the new king at Wimbledon.
Which younger player do you think has the best grass court game? And could they successfully rival Djokovic? Leave your comments below.