Djokovic did it. From Indian Wells to Miami, there was no time to breathe. In just two weeks, he had already completed the adjustment.
The moment he set foot on the final stage, Djokovic was ready to face Gao Wen for the sixth time in just eight months:
Just like against Murray.
So, where are Djokovic’s tactical adjustments reflected?
Forehand.
Unexpected and reasonable.
When people talk about Djokovic, his two-handed backhand and baseline skills are truly unparalleled in the world and are his signature weapons.
At the same time, Djokovic's forehand attack power is indeed slightly inferior. It is in sharp contrast to Federer and Nadal who rely on their forehands to develop their empires. It is even inferior to Murray's forehand speed. Murray's forehand speed is even inferior.
The forehand can often be used as a skateboard attack, which is a huge threat.
Over and over again, Djokovic's forehand has indeed been ignored.
Of course, this is indeed the case.
Djokovic's forehand appears to be relatively mediocre overall, neither good nor bad:
On offense, there is a lack of a sudden attack to speed up the attack; on defense, there is a lack of a reversal of the attack that puts the opponent to death.
Therefore, in his games, it is rare to see Federer's sharp attack, and it is rare to see Nadal's defense to turn defeat into victory in desperate situations.
However, moderation is not mediocrity.
Djokovic's forehand ability is very balanced, he can attack and defend, he lacks sharpness but is relatively stable, and his ability to resist hits and change lines is average; coupled with the general talent of a "hitting machine", this also makes him
Djokovic will not expose any special loopholes on the forehand position.
In fact, if you carefully watch the matches between Djokovic and the other three giants, you can notice that his forehand is far from that bad.
To be precise, it has nothing to do with "bad".
In normal hitting and ordinary rounds, Djokovic's forehand is often mainly rolled. No matter what ball comes, it can be wrapped back. Not only is the safety factor high, but also the landing point and line control are accurate. Often through rolling
Bringing the ball back can limit the opponent's offense and expand the layout.
However, during critical hitting processes, such as when the situation needs to be reversed, pressure needs to be applied, balance needs to be broken, and the rhythm needs to be improved——
Djokovic's forehand has a diagonal attack line.
Ordinary fans may say, "forehand slash", are you sure? Isn't this the most basic, simple and common hitting line in tennis?
For every junior tennis student, the first lesson in hitting the ball should be the forehand slash, which does not seem to have any technical difficulty.
So, what is so special about Djokovic’s forehand slash?
In fact, the specific explanation is very complicated. This is a comprehensive effect. To explain it in a simple version is——
Thanks to his strong wrapping touch, Djokovic's forehand can handle any shot, wrap it perfectly, and complete the return. Whether it is using force or taking the initiative, his forehand can easily complete the return.
The ball; moreover, the rhythm control and offensive connection are also top-notch.
At the same time, through the diagonal line, which is the safest, safest and most common route, you can further improve the success rate of returning the ball, making it easier for you to add different changes, change the rhythm, change the rotation, reverse the disadvantage, break the balance, etc., this slap
The ball can hide countless changes.
Perhaps Djokovic's forehand shot lacks explosive power, but the forehand diagonal shot, through clever use, can turn the situation around.
For example, against a "violent forehand" like Del Potro's.
Everyone knows that Del Potro's backhand is a weakness, including himself, so after the violent forehand attack ends, he will often defend his backhand position; and there is a high probability that the opponent will not be able to handle it at all.
Del Potro's forehand attack directly lost the point.
But Djokovic doesn't know that. His forehand is completely able to withstand it, and then he uses the force of the forehand diagonal to push the tennis ball back.
For example, against Federer's smooth forehand attack.
Federer's forehand attack has a variety of methods, including speed, strength, and spin. Therefore, the forehand attack is often a shot that opens up the situation and even leads to the winning point. It is strong and sharp.
Not only was Djokovic able to withstand Djokovic's forehand, but he was also able to push back Federer's attack by hitting the wall with his forehand diagonal shot, causing Federer's attack to encounter backlash, or he would miss the shot and lose points.
Either the offensive encounters obstacles, and the situation will quietly turn around.
For example, he played a solid and stable backhand against Nadal.
Because Nadal is left-handed, Djokovic's forehand diagonal is facing Nadal's backhand.
During Djokovic's seven-game winning streak against Nadal, "pressing forward and counterattacking" was a classic tactic. He used his unparalleled backhand to withstand Nadal's forehand super topspin, and finally attacked Nadal's backhand.
Create a winning score.
The key is here. Between 2010 and 2011, Nadal's backhand did not yet have the offensive ability that he later had, but his backhand was very stable, he had a strong ability to resist hits, and he rarely lost the ball. This also means that
, it is not easy to break through Nadal's backhand defense with the last shot of "pressing forward and counterattacking".
Djokovic has repeatedly made great achievements with his forehand slash. He is not only good at leveraging the force, but also good at grabbing the offensive rhythm and compressing the time of Nadal's backhand swing——
Nadal's backhand requires a time of accumulation, which is swing space. Once there is no swing space, there will be problems with the control and connection of the racket surface.
People often see that Djokovic's two-handed backhand is amazing, but they ignore that the shot that Djokovic scored against Nadal was a forehand diagonal.
See, this is ability.
Perhaps, the forehand is indeed not Djokovic's strongest weapon, but with the right combination of tactics, the forehand slash can also break the balance.
This is what Djokovic tried today.
This forehand diagonal shot was like a divine help.
Djokovic did not expect his forehand to break through Gawain's forehand and score directly. His tactics were very complicated.
First, he used his backhand to absorb all of Gawain's attacks, like a bone-splitting palm, all attacks were dissolved invisibly.
Secondly, the forehand is used to complete the arrangement and combination of layout, line, placement, rotation, and rhythm to form a containment and break the rhythm of Gawain's footwork, which means forcing Gawain out of position and winning opportunities for himself to attack.
In the end, Djokovic's winning shot was completely irregular. He did not simply press Gawain's forehand or backhand to complete the shot, but observed carefully and created gaps through his own layout.
The loophole was discovered, and then the capture was completed immediately, leaving Gawain unable to judge.
Especially the forehand diagonal shot is somewhat similar to Federer and Murray, increasing the rhythm by accelerating the speed of the racket head to complete the skateboard shot.
The balance is broken very suddenly, and the overall speed is very obvious, which often puts Gawain into embarrassing predicaments.