May the adaptability be with you
Happy birthday, Novak
Novak is like water. The more you try to grab him, the quicker he runs through your fingers. You can never hold on to him.
I’ve always had the theory that the reason why Novak is not acknowledged by a wider audience as the GOAT, the greatest of all time, despite having broken all records is because he has no distinct game style.
What comes first to mind when you think of Novak Djokovic, the tennis player?
It may be the way he moves or his will to win, his numbers, his Grand Slam tournament titles. But we don’t really think of him and picture a certain playing style. Whereas closing your eyes and imagining Roger or Rafa you have a clear image in front of you. The elegance, the airiness of Roger. The strength, the forehand swung out over the left shoulder of Rafa.
Novak doesn’t comply with the silhouette theory and hence doesn’t comply with some tennis fans’ expectations of what a GOAT should be.
The silhouette theory is a term coined by Walt Disney comic designers who would outline a character first before they filled in the details. If you could associate character traits by the silhouette only they would move on to build the entire comic figure. Nowadays, the silhouette test is used to determine how iconic somebody really is. Think of Michael Jackson, Michael Jordan, Elvis Presley. You would recognise them right away if you just saw an outline of their bodies.
The silhouette test doesn’t work with Novak because Novak’s biggest strength is not his footwork or his backhand. Not even his return. Novak’s biggest strength is his adaptability. He adapts to conditions, he adapts to opponents, he adapts to his own body’s developments. The essence of adaptability is change. If something is ever changing, you won’t be able to press it into a single silhouette. Just like water, it will always escape you.
He’s the only player who doesn’t really have a favourite surface. Yes, he’s won the most tournaments on hardcourt but most tournaments are played on hardcourt.
In last year’s US Open final, Novak played serve and volley at least twice per service game. He urged and pushed and shoved himself to the net in an unusual frequency, probably not feeling entirely comfortable but scaling tactical necessity over comfort. His opponent was Daniil Medvedev whose court position is so deep behind the baseline that coming to the net not only shortens points but also exposes the space Daniil leaves in the area right behind the net.
Novak counterpunches when he needs to counterpunch, he attacks when attacking tennis is called for (just think of how much more aggressive he operates when facing Carlos Alcaraz) and in the worst case scenario he can always drop back behind the baseline and defend and outrun you until you lose patience.
Being tactically astute is, of course, a requirement in tennis. Especially when better players face each other. A sound game plan can make the difference between two opponents who are approximately on the same level. With Novak it sometimes seems like he is all game plan, all tactic. As an opponent you can’t really prepare for Novak Djokovic because you don’t know which Novak you will get on each given day. This way, half the battle is won in the locker room already.
Imagine playing a computer game where you regularly bite the dust when facing the final boss. After hours and hours of playing you finally figure out a way, a weapon, to beat him but to your surprise he’s shape shifted into something completely different. That’s how it must feel playing Novak Djokovic. For a great description of how it actually feels to play him, listen to Andy Roddick’s podcast Served here: Andy on Novak
Andy rightfully mentions the effortless change of direction with both groundstrokes Novak possesses and how impotent he makes you feel on court after awhile. In order to be able to implement any game plan he selects Novak has to have the ability to pull it off. Maybe Novak’s distinct game style is that he is a complete player in the most literal sense. He has no weaknesses. He can adapt to anything and anyone because he has all playing cards at his disposal most of the time.
Novak and I are the same age. We “grew up together” in tennis terminology, meaning we saw each other at junior tournaments. I have always watched him closely. He was not meant to become the GOAT. He was meant to win a few majors, be a TOP 3 player for a long time and then disappear into nothingness like all athletes do when they retire. Two things differentiated him from everyone else. He had the rare ability to change, to improve, to try new things, when on top, when winning. Usually, when you win you want to repeat everything you have done before to recreate the same result. Once you start losing, you start making adjustments. Novak didn’t wait with the adjustments until he started losing. That’s how he remained always a step ahead. We used to laugh at him for doing yoga and drinking green juices and meditating at an age when we all just wanted to hang out and have fun. We, his generation of 1987, are almost all retired. Novak is still the number one player in the world. Guess who’s laughing now?
He reminds me a lot of Tom Brady and Tom Brady reminds me a lot of Novak. They both weren’t supposed to become the GOATs. And yet, they both willed it into being. They found energy and drive in the fact that people doubted them. And when people stopped doubting them they found ways to continue to believe they were still doubting them. In their heads, they remain the underdog. It’s a never ending revenge quest where in the end you get to divorce Gisele Bündchen. That’s more than many people can claim for themselves.
One anecdote I always tell people when they ask me about Novak is this one:
When we were 18 and started playing the main draws of Grand Slam tournaments Novak would sometimes ask me whether my parents were there to support me. Whenever I returned the question, he would routinely say: They are arriving next Saturday. Which, naturally, was the Saturday before the final. You’re wrong to think you need people to believe in you when the most powerful belief is the one you have in yourself. For some people, it’s even more compelling to be doubted.
We have seen Novak bulk up over the course of the past few years. He has gained 3 to 4 kilos in muscle mass, I would estimate. With age the first thing that goes are the quick fibres of our muscles. Novak just turned 37 this week. Happy birthday, Novak, and happy adapting to all of us.
Things that make me happy:
During the pandemic an unknown number would call me five times a day. I don’t like picking up phone calls (I could end the sentence right here) when I don’t know who’s on the other end. Eventually, curiosity won and I answered. It was Marius Müller-Westernhagen, one of our most famous rockstars we have in Germany, trying to tell me he enjoyed some of the workout videos I was uploading. Trying because I hung up right away thinking I was being pranked. Just imagine Stephen Tyler from Aerosmith cold calling you - that’s about the equivalent. He tried a few more times, thank God, and in the end I made him FaceTime me to make sure it was really him. He’s on his farewell tour right now having turned 75 last December. I went to one of his concerts in Frankfurt and he was such a powerhouse that he made me believe in old age again. I had broken up with old age when it forced me to retire from the thing I loved most in the world but we are slowly rekindling our relationship. Danke, Marius.
Things that make me unhappy:
The TV channel I sometimes cover tennis for in Germany is known for its soccer coverage. Which means I share the Green Room with soccer experts. They routinely think it a good idea to explain tennis to me. I am very patient but on the inside I am thinking: I AM THE EXPERT. I AM THE EXPERT. Get off my lawn. As I usually try to find positive aspects in negative ones I am happy to report that in these conversations I always turn out to be right. Lovely.
Thank you for indulging my tennis nerd-out this Friday, I can’t wait to see you all back here next week. I’m off to Paris and next week’s newsletter WILL be written with a beret on. May your luggage always fit in the overhead compartment.
Yours truly, Andrea
Next time a soccer commentator explains tennis to you, explain soccer to them. :)
This was fun. Two things come to mind:
1). In the interview Novak recently did, with 60 minutes, (I think it was 60 minutes...) he talked about the 2019 Wimbledon Final. He said, "if you look back on the match, Roger was better in almost every category...but I won the match." There's a lot to unpack there, but it's the epitome of the "confusion" of Novak.
-and-
2). We all have our favorites and some win more and some win less. GOAT, although not necessarily untrue, is something for people to talk about. Some sports have a clear favorite, a clear winner, but others can be a toss up. I do think tennis is a toss up in the sense that the things Rafa, Roger, and Novak have done are just absurd. Novak is a step ahead, no doubt about it, but other than longevity I'm not sure it's so "clear cut". Roger is my favorite player and may always be; on the court, he is just a beauty to watch and I think he possesses things that no other tennis player has ever shown. However, on the flip side, Rafa is pretty unbelievable...but I'll give you an even more unbelieveable stat not many people talk about with Rafa: he was won 22 Grand Slams, but he has MISSED 16 Grand Slams due to injuries.
Anyway, as always, thanks for your insights. I don't really care who the GOAT is, but I sure am happy that we get to talk about these three legendary performers. Everything each one of them has done is nothing short of extraordinary.