Eye of the Coach #81: “Djokovic came to conquer in the US Open final, and he did”
Coach Patrick Mouratoglou says mindset and a tactical change gave Novak Djokovic the edge in the US Open final
Novak Djokovic won his 24th Grand Slam title in style at the US Open when he beat Daniil Medvedev in straight sets.
In the latest edition of Eye of the Coach, Patrick Mouratoglou explains how Djokovic gave himself an edge as he pulled alongside Margaret Court at the top of the all-time list.
Mouratoglou says there were two elements to Djokovic’s game that stood out; his mindset and two tactical changes. “There are two Novaks in Grand Slam finals,” he says. “There’s the Novak who comes to conquer, and when he plays his best, he’s the best player in the world. And there’s the Novak who comes not to lose; this one is beatable – he’s extremely difficult to beat – but he is beatable. In that final, he came to conquer and he did.”
The Frenchman says Djokovic’s tactics were also perfect. “He used serve and volley much, much more,” he said. “It’s something that he’s added to his game lately. On most key points he served and volleyed, he took advantage of the fact that Daniil was so far back and he scored most of the points. He also came to the net a lot more, to shorten the points.”
KEY MOMENTS OF EYE OF THE COACH
- 0:13 – Novak added two elements to his game in the final
- 0.17 – Djokovic had the right, attacking mindset
- 0:38 – How Djokovic chose the perfect tactics
- 1.05 – Serve and volley was the key to his success
- 1:28 – Going to the net more allowed Djokovic to shorten the points
- 1.48 – He used the centre of the court more than usual
