Djokovic once again proves why he is the tiebreak king — at Roland-Garros and everywhere else
Novak Djokovic explains his mentality in tiebreaks and how it allows him to be dominant during the most important parts of his matches
Djokovic wins at Roland-Garros 2023
Novak Djokovic did not make an unforced error in the second-set tiebreak of his 4-6, 7-6(0), 6-2, 6-4 victory over Karen Khachanov in the Roland-Garros quarter-finals on Tuesday.
You simply need to look at the score to figure that out. Of course Djokovic didn’t make an unforced error in the tiebreak. He didn’t even lose a single point!
Thus continues the 36-year-old’s Serb dominance in matches when it matters most. He has played five tiebreaks at the French Open so far this fortnight and has not made one unforced error. That’s right; of 47 points played in tiebreaks, zero have ended in errors by Djokovic.
It’s kind of a mentality of a lockdown
Novak Djokovic
“In the tiebreak the format is such that you serve every two points,” the 22-time Grand Slam champion explained after beating Khachanov. “Every point matters. Really, every point can decide in which direction (a) tiebreak is going to go.
“So I think it’s kind of a mentality of a lockdown. Okay, I’m present; I’m focused only on the next point and I have to really think clearly about what I want to do depending on who you’re facing in a given opponent.
“It worked really well for me (today). I must say I played a perfect tiebreak: 7-0. Every point was perfectly scripted for me, so to say. Yeah, sometimes it works; sometimes it doesn’t.”
Djokovic the best ever in tiebreaks
It always seems to work for Djokovic. He is now 307-162 lifetime in tiebreakers, giving him the all-time best winning percentage (65.5) in the Open Era of men’s professional tennis. Djokovic is 14-4 in tiebreakers this year, including 8-1 in majors.
“I think I was lucky that throughout my career I have a very good and positive score in the tiebreaks. My opponents know that, and I know that. So I think mentally that serves me well. Coming into every next tiebreak, I know I maybe have that mental edge. So I try to use it.”
Here are the top-10 leaders in tiebreak winning percentages, Open Era men’s singles:
- 1 – Novak Djokovic – 65,5 % (307-162)
- 2 – Roger Federer – 65,4 % (466-247)
- 3 – Arthur Ashe – 65,0 % (165-89)
- 4 – Andrés Gómez – 63,2 % (182-106)
- 5 – Pete Sampras – 62,8 % (328-194)
- 6 – Andy Roddick – 62,1 % (303-185)
- 7 – Guillermo Pérez Roldán – 62,1 % (72-44)
- 8 – John McEnroe – 61,8 % (189-117)
- 9 – Milos Raonic – 61,1 % (231-147)
- 10 – Rafael Nadal – 61,0 % (263-168)
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