Novak Djokovic is known for being a fantastic defender on the tennis courts, but Rennae Stubbs recently magnified one of his least-spoken shots.
Djokovic is a versatile player with the ability to turn defense into attack within a flash. He is regarded as the greatest returner in tennis, with a return rating of 164.8, ranking in the Top 10 list.
The Serbian is also the most clutch player in ATP history, with an Under Pressure rating (based on metrics such as break points converted and tie-breaks won) of 248.6, placing him at the top of the pile.
His groundstrokes have traditionally and still to date stayed consistent and hardly error-prone, which has resulted in Djokovic being uncharitably called a robot.
But Djokovic’s underrated shot is his serve. Because he has such an extraordinary return and wonderful backhand, it masks some of his strengths, like the serve.
Recently, Serena Williams’ former coach, Rennae Stubbs, explained the improvements that the 36-year-old incorporated into his game to become an “amazing” spot server.
Stubbs spoke on her eponymous podcast Racquet’s Rennae Stubbs, where she opined that Djokovic struggled with his motion early on in his career but made the necessary adjustments to record as high as 7,000 aces since turning pro.
“Novak’s serve when he first started out was pretty s**t. He would double-fault, his elbow was too low, there was a lot of things going on, something I think Goran’s really helped him with. But he’s an amazing spot server.”
“You look at Novak’s serve now, ‘Would I teach Novak’s service motion? Absolutely not!’ I don’t think it’s a great service motion. But he has figured out a way to hit his spots and he aces more than a lot of people do.”
In the same podcast, retired WTA player Andrea Petkovic concurred with Stubbs. The German stated that players who have been on the receiving end of Djokovic’s serve have always noted its supreme quality.
“I like to ask players who have actively played Novak and every single person I asked says, ‘He serves really well!’, which wouldn’t ever be the first thing that comes to your mind.”
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