AN INSIDERS LOOK AT THE TENNIS FROM MADRID, CRAIG CIGNARELLI BREAKS DOWN THE NOVAK DJOKOVIC MATCH AGAINST BORNA CORIC FOR 10SBALLS READERS

Written by: Staff on 4th May 2016

AN INSIDERS LOOK AT THE TENNIS FROM MADRID, CRAIG CIGNARELLI BREAKS DOWN THE NOVAK DJOKOVIC MATCH AGAINST BORNA CORIC FOR 10SBALLS READERS

epa05283505 Borna Coric of Croatia in action against Nick Kyrgios of Australia during his quarterfinal match for the Estoril Open tennis tournament in Estoril, Portugal, 29 April 2016. Kyrgios won 6-4, 6-4. EPA/JOSE SENA GOULAO |

Yesterday I discussed Thiem versus Del Potro and some of the intricacies going on in professional tennis. Today, the world #1 Djokovic squared off against an extremely talented nineteen year-old, Borna Coric, who Djokovic suggested is a young version of himself. Once again, there is so much happening beneath the skin of this match.

Playing on the stadium court, Coric is noticeably nervous. It is the role of coaches to make him understand what it feels like to play with 12,000 people watching, with 15 people standing on your court -umpires, linesmen, ball kids, not to mention the camera shutters snapping away with the unnerving whirr of distant helicopters as Coric experiences his own cardiac chop. Coric chooses to receive to quell the nerves. Some players do this at the beginning of a match to allow themselves the freedom to hit out on their shots without the risk of losing serve. Others seize the initiative.

Novak is an “other” and seize is the right word. At this level, initiative is not taken, nor given. One must rip it from the opponent the way wolves go after throats. Novak serves, hits eight hard groundstrokes and then drop shots the kid. Coric wins the point but the King of tennis has sent his proclamation that there will be suffering. Novak is poised with his nocked-arrow groundstrokes at the ready. The teenager is already trying to catch his breath.

Djoko gets break point in the second game but Coric holds and is now fist pumping on every point. The kid is like a shaken champagne bottle.

At 1-1, Coric returns from twenty feet from behind the baseline. Many people are following this Nadal tactic – he is the king of clay after all. On this surface, taking the return early may not give you the same advantage as when you do it on hard court, so we see more players dropping back and hitting neutral returns down the center of the court. The problem is, if you don’t get the return deep, the server has all day to set up for the finishing shot. So it goes as Djoker holds.

Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic returns the ball to Croatian Berna Coric during their Mutua Madrid Open tennis tournament second round match played at the Caja Magica Tennis Center in Madrid, Spain, 04 May 2016. The Mutua Madrid Open runs from 29 April until 08 May 2016. EPA/J. J. GUILEN

2-1 Djokovic. Coric misses twice. At 0-30, Coric wins a 15 ball rally and Djokovic makes him play two more which he loses. And that’s how the break happens – a top player recognizes fear and hesitation in an opponent and makes him play long points where he is worried about the champion hurting him, and therefore risking too much with his neutral balls. 3-1 The Champ.

Djoker holds easily with what statistician Craig O’Shannessy has termed Serve plus One.

Coric is winning a few of the longer points but works very hard for his hold. This is the kind of thing that wears on you over time. When you can’t dent the opponent’s serve and you are always teetering on the edge of being broken, the pressure builds with each toss. The points become heavier, daring you to miss, as though they have a force of their own and now you are playing two opponents.

Down 4-2, Coric catches a glimpse of hope. It’s 15-30 and Djoker hits a non-pressuring serve. Coric misses the return. The 30-all point is the defining point of the set. When facing champions, contenders often feel like they need to DO something. They extend themselves just far enough outside of their comfort zone that they lose control of the shot, the point, the set. Being so close to seizing something from the champion, they feel anxious and tend to make poor decisions. The champions know this. The champions are comfortable in these moments because the attitude of the contender is reliable – they will overplay. At 30-all, they play a 22 shot rally and the kid misses a backhand down the line. Whether he should have pulled the trigger or not is for him to decide. His position was ok but not great. The miss was not long but wide, which is never good. And he could have played deep crosscourt and maintained his neutrality. The thing is, Djokovic knows all of this and waited the kid out. One reason Djokovic is number one is because he understands the psychology of the champion and the contender. He knows when to risk and when to be stubborn. Coric is nineteen and still learning – albeit quickly! Still, 5-2 Djokovic.

The set’s final game epitomizes the competitive relationship. Novak begins going big on his returns. Up a break, he can now afford to lose Coric’s service game. His confidence is high, he has seen Coric’s serve for almost a full set, he can afford to miss, and he knows that if he puts the ball in play, he can win the long points. Djoker connects on a few good returns and the set is over.

Croatian tennis player Berna Coric returns the ball to Serbian Novak Djokovic during their Mutua Madrid Open tennis tournament second round match played at the Caja Magica Tennis Center in Madrid, Spain, 04 May 2016. The Mutua Madrid Open runs from 29 April until 08 May 2016. EPA/CHEMA MOYA

The second set was a bit tougher. Coric is a willful kid and he fist-pumped his way to 3-3. At 40-30 Djoko, the Champ lost focus and double faulted twice. With a little longer bouncing session than normal, Novak refocused and made his first serve on the next points. But here’s the thing. When you play top players, you don’t get a handful of chances. You get one – two if you’re lucky. Break point against a top 5 player is a defining moment. You call upon every bit of your mental and tactical training to play your best point here. Your best return to your best spot with your best movement afterwards. At 130mph, there is no decision making during the return. It is all pre-planned to the point where it is almost instinct on the court. Coric makes the return, Djokovic comes in and Coric gets a look at at passing shot and misses. It is the last time he will come close to sniffing a break.

At 5-4 Novak, Coric makes an error and Novak hits a winner. 0-30 is deadly in men’s tennis. If the server goes big for the free point, he risks giving the opponent a look at a second serve. If the server spins one in, the returner may take control of the point. It is a tightrope of anxiety that often knocks players to the ground. To make matters worse, Coric would need to be twice as good as Novak to win this game. He is not. Novak wins 6-4.

Tomorrow, Djoker, Nadal, Raonic, Berdych, Ferrer, Murray and Raonic all play. If you’d like me to cover any of them, and if any of this stuff is of interest, please let us know at 10sballs.com

Topics: 10sballs.com, ATP Madrid, Borna Coric, Clay tennis, Craig Cignarelli, Mutua Madrid Open, Novak Djokovic, Sports, Tennis News