Becker to coach Djokovic

[Moxie]

^ One thing that occurs to me, which is rather a rider onto yours, is that Becker might feel he needs to do anything, at all. Will he be content to cheerlead from the sidelines? Or is he going to need to make some "mark" on the Djokovic game/success?

 

[Murat Baslamisli]

BS, I agree with your points but I want to add this: Novak might have decided, or realized, that the WAY he is winning might not be sustainable and has been putting enormous amount of stress on his body. So, he might be looking for different, maybe quicker ways of winning, as opposed to the 4-5-6 hour marathons he has been a part of in the past. Boris might help there, maybe in different ways of point construction, keeping things a bit shorter, not necessarily finishing everything at the net, but not missing obvious opportunities to approach either like he has in the past.

 

[Front242]

The points I saw from Novak in the Asian swing regarding net play were good in that there were no silly Roddick-esque headless chicken approaches (which sadly Fed seems to have inherited from Roddick lately!) and he worked the points nicely to reach a decent time to finish at the net. If he does that it's a good tool to add to his game but he needs to stick to working the point till he finds the right moment to approach the net. And of course when he does, volley it well and not into the net. Berdych approaches the net at times these days too but a good 50% of his volleys land right in the middle of the net.

 

[tented]

BS, I agree with your points but I want to add this: Novak might have decided, or realized, that the WAY he is winning might not be sustainable and has been putting enormous amount of stress on his body. So, he might be looking for different, maybe quicker ways of winning, as opposed to the 4-5-6 hour marathons he has been a part of in the past. Boris might help there, maybe in different ways of point construction, keeping things a bit shorter, not necessarily finishing everything at the net, but not missing obvious opportunities to approach either like he has in the past.

Good point. Djokovic is 4.5 months away from turning 27. Granted he hasn't been sidelined with serious injuries, and granted the average age of the top players is older than it used to be, nevertheless he can't keep up such an extreme physical approach forever, either. At some point the Gumbyesque retrieving will no longer be doable, and he'll need new ways of constructing/ending points. Theoretically Becker might be able to help, but I still don't think the pairing will amount to much.

 

[rafanoy1992]

BS, I agree with your points but I want to add this: Novak might have decided, or realized, that the WAY he is winning might not be sustainable and has been putting enormous amount of stress on his body. So, he might be looking for different, maybe quicker ways of winning, as opposed to the 4-5-6 hour marathons he has been a part of in the past. Boris might help there, maybe in different ways of point construction, keeping things a bit shorter, not necessarily finishing everything at the net, but not missing obvious opportunities to approach either like he has in the past.

Good point. Djokovic is 4.5 months away from turning 27. Granted he hasn't been sidelined with serious injuries, and granted the average age of the top players is older than it used to be, nevertheless he can't keep up such an extreme physical approach forever, either. At some point the Gumbyesque retrieving will no longer be doable, and he'll need new ways of constructing/ending points. Theoretically Becker might be able to help, but I still don't think the pairing will amount to much.

The best examples of these were in the 2013 Wimbledon and 2013 US Open finals. In both finals, Djokovic looked exhausted after playing five tough sets in the semifinals.

In addition to that, since 2011, Djokovic has played 246 official matches. That's a lot of matches especially the type of style he plays on the court.

 

[Denis]

I wonder how much Vaida actually had a say in this. Maybe the compatibility with Vaida was a factor too? (I mean characterwise, do they get along?)

This is their H2H (1-1):

http://www.atpworldtour.com/Players/Head-To-Head.aspx?pId=V002&oId=B028

Anyway, the fact that Becker was mentally erratic doesn't mean he can make Djokovic perform better. That goes for slam finals too. Let's wait and see.

 

[Moxie]

BS, I agree with your points but I want to add this: Novak might have decided, or realized, that the WAY he is winning might not be sustainable and has been putting enormous amount of stress on his body. So, he might be looking for different, maybe quicker ways of winning, as opposed to the 4-5-6 hour marathons he has been a part of in the past. Boris might help there, maybe in different ways of point construction, keeping things a bit shorter, not necessarily finishing everything at the net, but not missing obvious opportunities to approach either like he has in the past.

Good point. Djokovic is 4.5 months away from turning 27. Granted he hasn't been sidelined with serious injuries, and granted the average age of the top players is older than it used to be, nevertheless he can't keep up such an extreme physical approach forever, either. At some point the Gumbyesque retrieving will no longer be doable, and he'll need new ways of constructing/ending points. Theoretically Becker might be able to help, but I still don't think the pairing will amount to much.

I agree that Murat's point is interesting about what he might be keen to change. Rafa has also looked to shorten his matches, to good effect. Eventually, and perhaps now, that's going to be wise.

BS, I agree with your points but I want to add this: Novak might have decided, or realized, that the WAY he is winning might not be sustainable and has been putting enormous amount of stress on his body. So, he might be looking for different, maybe quicker ways of winning, as opposed to the 4-5-6 hour marathons he has been a part of in the past. Boris might help there, maybe in different ways of point construction, keeping things a bit shorter, not necessarily finishing everything at the net, but not missing obvious opportunities to approach either like he has in the past.

Good point. Djokovic is 4.5 months away from turning 27. Granted he hasn't been sidelined with serious injuries, and granted the average age of the top players is older than it used to be, nevertheless he can't keep up such an extreme physical approach forever, either. At some point the Gumbyesque retrieving will no longer be doable, and he'll need new ways of constructing/ending points. Theoretically Becker might be able to help, but I still don't think the pairing will amount to much.

The best examples of these were in the 2013 Wimbledon and 2013 US Open finals. In both finals, Djokovic looked exhausted after playing five tough sets in the semifinals.

In addition to that, since 2011, Djokovic has played 246 official matches. That's a lot of matches especially the type of style he plays on the court.

I would have said that Djokovic could withstand a 5-set SF and still win or at least make a match of a final, but those examples are telling, also given the number of matches that he's played since 2011. Iron-Man tennis can't hold up forever. You've all cadged something that the Djokovic camp might be looking to change.

 

[Denis]

BS, I agree with your points but I want to add this: Novak might have decided, or realized, that the WAY he is winning might not be sustainable and has been putting enormous amount of stress on his body. So, he might be looking for different, maybe quicker ways of winning, as opposed to the 4-5-6 hour marathons he has been a part of in the past. Boris might help there, maybe in different ways of point construction, keeping things a bit shorter, not necessarily finishing everything at the net, but not missing obvious opportunities to approach either like he has in the past.

Good point. Djokovic is 4.5 months away from turning 27. Granted he hasn't been sidelined with serious injuries, and granted the average age of the top players is older than it used to be, nevertheless he can't keep up such an extreme physical approach forever, either. At some point the Gumbyesque retrieving will no longer be doable, and he'll need new ways of constructing/ending points. Theoretically Becker might be able to help, but I still don't think the pairing will amount to much.

I agree that Murat's point is interesting about what he might be keen to change. Rafa has also looked to shorten his matches, to good effect. Eventually, and perhaps now, that's going to be wise.

BS, I agree with your points but I want to add this: Novak might have decided, or realized, that the WAY he is winning might not be sustainable and has been putting enormous amount of stress on his body. So, he might be looking for different, maybe quicker ways of winning, as opposed to the 4-5-6 hour marathons he has been a part of in the past. Boris might help there, maybe in different ways of point construction, keeping things a bit shorter, not necessarily finishing everything at the net, but not missing obvious opportunities to approach either like he has in the past.

Good point. Djokovic is 4.5 months away from turning 27. Granted he hasn't been sidelined with serious injuries, and granted the average age of the top players is older than it used to be, nevertheless he can't keep up such an extreme physical approach forever, either. At some point the Gumbyesque retrieving will no longer be doable, and he'll need new ways of constructing/ending points. Theoretically Becker might be able to help, but I still don't think the pairing will amount to much.

The best examples of these were in the 2013 Wimbledon and 2013 US Open finals. In both finals, Djokovic looked exhausted after playing five tough sets in the semifinals.

In addition to that, since 2011, Djokovic has played 246 official matches. That's a lot of matches especially the type of style he plays on the court.

I would have said that Djokovic could withstand a 5-set SF and still win or at least make a match of a final, but those examples are telling, also given the number of matches that he's played since 2011. Iron-Man tennis can't hold up forever. You've all cadged something that the Djokovic camp might be looking to change.

Yup, Ferrer is the perfect example of that. Nadal, the quintessential example of Iron-Man tennis, will be retiring too soon then. uzzled:nono

Djokovic said he hired Becker for the mental edge and for the serve btw.

 

[DarthFed]

BS, I agree with your points but I want to add this: Novak might have decided, or realized, that the WAY he is winning might not be sustainable and has been putting enormous amount of stress on his body. So, he might be looking for different, maybe quicker ways of winning, as opposed to the 4-5-6 hour marathons he has been a part of in the past. Boris might help there, maybe in different ways of point construction, keeping things a bit shorter, not necessarily finishing everything at the net, but not missing obvious opportunities to approach either like he has in the past.

Good point. Djokovic is 4.5 months away from turning 27. Granted he hasn't been sidelined with serious injuries, and granted the average age of the top players is older than it used to be, nevertheless he can't keep up such an extreme physical approach forever, either. At some point the Gumbyesque retrieving will no longer be doable, and he'll need new ways of constructing/ending points. Theoretically Becker might be able to help, but I still don't think the pairing will amount to much.

I agree that Murat's point is interesting about what he might be keen to change. Rafa has also looked to shorten his matches, to good effect. Eventually, and perhaps now, that's going to be wise.

BS, I agree with your points but I want to add this: Novak might have decided, or realized, that the WAY he is winning might not be sustainable and has been putting enormous amount of stress on his body. So, he might be looking for different, maybe quicker ways of winning, as opposed to the 4-5-6 hour marathons he has been a part of in the past. Boris might help there, maybe in different ways of point construction, keeping things a bit shorter, not necessarily finishing everything at the net, but not missing obvious opportunities to approach either like he has in the past.

Good point. Djokovic is 4.5 months away from turning 27. Granted he hasn't been sidelined with serious injuries, and granted the average age of the top players is older than it used to be, nevertheless he can't keep up such an extreme physical approach forever, either. At some point the Gumbyesque retrieving will no longer be doable, and he'll need new ways of constructing/ending points. Theoretically Becker might be able to help, but I still don't think the pairing will amount to much.

The best examples of these were in the 2013 Wimbledon and 2013 US Open finals. In both finals, Djokovic looked exhausted after playing five tough sets in the semifinals.

In addition to that, since 2011, Djokovic has played 246 official matches. That's a lot of matches especially the type of style he plays on the court.

I would have said that Djokovic could withstand a 5-set SF and still win or at least make a match of a final, but those examples are telling, also given the number of matches that he's played since 2011. Iron-Man tennis can't hold up forever. You've all cadged something that the Djokovic camp might be looking to change.

Yup, Ferrer is the perfect example of that. Nadal, the quintessential example of Iron-Man tennis, will be retiring too soon then. uzzled:nono

Djokovic said he hired Becker for the mental edge and for the serve btw.

You do make a good point here. I say Ferrer is just a freak though. Rafa has slowed down from his younger days even though he is still extremely quick and can grind better than anyone still. Rafa has become more aggressive as the years went by. The question is will Novak do that in the next couple years when he loses a step. I think Nole should be more worried about serve, net play and the mental game myself. He needs to find the refocus and try to get back to where he was in 2011 because I don't buy for a second that he is happy with 2012 and 2013. He certainly shouldn't be!

 

[isabelle]

Nole will be ambassador for Peugeot all over the world in 2014 maybe more

 

[Moxie]

BS, I agree with your points but I want to add this: Novak might have decided, or realized, that the WAY he is winning might not be sustainable and has been putting enormous amount of stress on his body. So, he might be looking for different, maybe quicker ways of winning, as opposed to the 4-5-6 hour marathons he has been a part of in the past. Boris might help there, maybe in different ways of point construction, keeping things a bit shorter, not necessarily finishing everything at the net, but not missing obvious opportunities to approach either like he has in the past.

Good point. Djokovic is 4.5 months away from turning 27. Granted he hasn't been sidelined with serious injuries, and granted the average age of the top players is older than it used to be, nevertheless he can't keep up such an extreme physical approach forever, either. At some point the Gumbyesque retrieving will no longer be doable, and he'll need new ways of constructing/ending points. Theoretically Becker might be able to help, but I still don't think the pairing will amount to much.

I agree that Murat's point is interesting about what he might be keen to change. Rafa has also looked to shorten his matches, to good effect. Eventually, and perhaps now, that's going to be wise.

Good point. Djokovic is 4.5 months away from turning 27. Granted he hasn't been sidelined with serious injuries, and granted the average age of the top players is older than it used to be, nevertheless he can't keep up such an extreme physical approach forever, either. At some point the Gumbyesque retrieving will no longer be doable, and he'll need new ways of constructing/ending points. Theoretically Becker might be able to help, but I still don't think the pairing will amount to much.

The best examples of these were in the 2013 Wimbledon and 2013 US Open finals. In both finals, Djokovic looked exhausted after playing five tough sets in the semifinals.

In addition to that, since 2011, Djokovic has played 246 official matches. That's a lot of matches especially the type of style he plays on the court.

I would have said that Djokovic could withstand a 5-set SF and still win or at least make a match of a final, but those examples are telling, also given the number of matches that he's played since 2011. Iron-Man tennis can't hold up forever. You've all cadged something that the Djokovic camp might be looking to change.

Yup, Ferrer is the perfect example of that. Nadal, the quintessential example of Iron-Man tennis, will be retiring too soon then. uzzled:nono

Djokovic said he hired Becker for the mental edge and for the serve btw.

You do make a good point here. I say Ferrer is just a freak though. Rafa has slowed down from his younger days even though he is still extremely quick and can grind better than anyone still. Rafa has become more aggressive as the years went by. The question is will Novak do that in the next couple years when he loses a step. I think Nole should be more worried about serve, net play and the mental game myself. He needs to find the refocus and try to get back to where he was in 2011 because I don't buy for a second that he is happy with 2012 and 2013. He certainly shouldn't be!

This is closer to what I had intended with my comment above. (Denisovich was a bit sensitive to assume I meant 'retirement.') No one can really be sure that they're a David Ferrer in terms of seemingly endless miles in the legs. Better to shorten things up where possible.

 

[Denis]

So by this logic Rafa should also 'shorten things up'? Maybe he can hire Dr Ivo as a coach?

 

[brokenshoelace]

So by this logic Rafa should also 'shorten things up'? Maybe he can hire Dr Ivo as a coach?

Nadal should always be looking to shorten things up. There's a reason he missed 7 months not that long ago. Obviously, there is a limit to how much he can realistically shorten things up, but I'd say he's been able to do it to an extent. He's never going to flat out shorten points on a rally to rally basis because that's not the kind of player he is, but in improving his serve, being more aggressive with his ground strokes, etc... he's done that. It was quite noticeable this summer. Obviously, this also depends on the opponent. Nadal just won't be hitting through someone like Novak with a 2-3 forehands and end the point routinely. There's a reason these guys push each other to 54 stroke rallies.

With that said, I don't think Nole added Becker for longevity's sake. Djokovic still moves as smooth s ever (whereas Nadal has actually slowed down throughout the years, despite being a top 2 mover), hasn't had a history of injuries, and like Nadal, there are limits to just how much he can shorten the points. He's more capable of doing it than Nadal to be honest, but there's a tradeoff. He risks being too aggressive, rushing his shots, and making too many errors. In fact, that's part of what held him back on occasions before his 2011 run.

I think Novak hired Becker simply because Vajda had to "step down."

 

[brokenshoelace]

To be clear: If I'm Novak, I'd just continue doing what I'm doing. This of course doesn't mean he shouldn't be looking to improve. But I wouldn't change anything about how he approaches his game. If his serve continues to click the way it was in the second half of last year (especially the last 3 months), the rest of the tour is in trouble.

 

[Denis]

So by this logic Rafa should also 'shorten things up'? Maybe he can hire Dr Ivo as a coach?

Nadal should always be looking to shorten things up. There's a reason he missed 7 months not that long ago. Obviously, there is a limit to how much he can realistically shorten things up, but I'd say he's been able to do it to an extent. He's never going to flat out shorten points on a rally to rally basis because that's not the kind of player he is, but in improving his serve, being more aggressive with his ground strokes, etc... he's done that. It was quite noticeable this summer. Obviously, this also depends on the opponent. Nadal just won't be hitting through someone like Novak with a 2-3 forehands and end the point routinely. There's a reason these guys push each other to 54 stroke rallies.

With that said, I don't think Nole added Becker for longevity's sake. Djokovic still moves as smooth s ever (whereas Nadal has actually slowed down throughout the years, despite being a top 2 mover), hasn't had a history of injuries, and like Nadal, there are limits to just how much he can shorten the points. He's more capable of doing it than Nadal to be honest, but there's a tradeoff. He risks being too aggressive, rushing his shots, and making too many errors. In fact, that's part of what held him back on occasions before his 2011 run.

I think Novak hired Becker simply because Vajda had to "step down."

Do you mean that Vajda wants to focus on coaching his daughter? Or something else?

 

[brokenshoelace]

So by this logic Rafa should also 'shorten things up'? Maybe he can hire Dr Ivo as a coach?

Nadal should always be looking to shorten things up. There's a reason he missed 7 months not that long ago. Obviously, there is a limit to how much he can realistically shorten things up, but I'd say he's been able to do it to an extent. He's never going to flat out shorten points on a rally to rally basis because that's not the kind of player he is, but in improving his serve, being more aggressive with his ground strokes, etc... he's done that. It was quite noticeable this summer. Obviously, this also depends on the opponent. Nadal just won't be hitting through someone like Novak with a 2-3 forehands and end the point routinely. There's a reason these guys push each other to 54 stroke rallies.

With that said, I don't think Nole added Becker for longevity's sake. Djokovic still moves as smooth s ever (whereas Nadal has actually slowed down throughout the years, despite being a top 2 mover), hasn't had a history of injuries, and like Nadal, there are limits to just how much he can shorten the points. He's more capable of doing it than Nadal to be honest, but there's a tradeoff. He risks being too aggressive, rushing his shots, and making too many errors. In fact, that's part of what held him back on occasions before his 2011 run.

I think Novak hired Becker simply because Vajda had to "step down."

Do you mean that Vajda wants to focus on coaching his daughter? Or something else?

Yes. I think it was a mutual decision that he and Novak took.

 

[Moxie]

Rafa and Novak are both willing to play long matches when needs be, but I think they may both be looking to curtail that when it's not necessary. Rafa, for sure. Novak would be wise.

 

[nehmeth]

Interesting comments from Pilic. Worth the read and I concur.

http://indianexpress.com/article/sports/tennis/to-be-fit-enough-to-coach-novak-djokovic-boris-becker-must-change-his-own-lifestyle/

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/01/13/tennis-becker-pilic-idUKL6N0KN1DV20140113

 

[tented]

Since coming on board, Novak still hasn't won Paris, he hasn't won the USO since 2011, he did get Wimbledon again last year, and of course he won in Melbourne this year (but that's something he can practically do in his sleep).

Does Becker still serve a purpose? If so, what? Or should Novak dump him, and hire Magnus Norman?

 

[Fiero425]

Since coming on board, Novak still hasn't won Paris, he hasn't won the USO since 2011, he did get Wimbledon again last year, and of course he won in Melbourne this year (but that's something he can practically do in his sleep).

Does Becker still serve a purpose? If so, what? Or should Novak dump him, and hire Magnus Norman?

I asked the same thing? Nole's definitely moving into the net more, but it's not exactly been with dominating results! He loses a lot of those "touchy feely rallies" trying to be cute with drop shots and lobs that didn't fall in today; NONE of them! It was just a shaky performance from the beginning that I saw even after winning the first set! :nono :angel: