Novak Djokovic is arguably the best tennis player of all time. It’s no secret he possesses an array of talents and skills. From his technique, to his mental toughness and everything in between.
His physical abilities aren’t too shabby either. Flexibility, stamina and movement are merely a few that come to mind.
While Novak is unquestionably a physical specimen, he’s not the fastest tennis player I’ve ever seen. It’s obvious he’s not the strongest. And I’d say he’s probably not one of the most powerful out there either.
From an overall athletic perspective, he's not the most athletic player out there.
But here’s my argument…despite not being the most athletic player on tour, Novak is still (in my view) the best mover on the tennis court.
How can this be?
How can someone who is not the best athlete in the sport, possess the best movement qualities?
Firstly, remember that I’m not saying he’s NOT athletic (he is). What I am saying is that if I were to measure his linear speed, jumping ability, explosiveness, strength/power etc - he probably wouldn’t score at the top of those physical qualities.
Yet he’s still the best mover! And here’s why…
He has an overwhelming edge when it comes to his ability to read the game.
This is a combination of his reactive split-step. His ability to perceive the oncoming ball - and make the correct decision very early as to where to position himself based on the tactic, phase of play and how he’s feeling the ball in that moment.
And lastly, I don’t think folks give his anticipation skills enough credit. He seemingly knows where his opponent will hit, before they do!
These skills - reaction, perception, anticipation - are what allow a player like Novak to be labeled ‘the best mover in tennis’.
A Junior Example
I recently began working with a young 10 year old player. Prior to our first lesson, his mother mentioned that he’s been called slow. That he doesn’t move fast on the tennis court.
During the warm-up of our first lesson, I had asked this young boy to do a few jumps, sprints and other athletic movements. I wasn’t measuring anything specifically, simply observing.
He may not have been the fastest 10 year old I’ve ever seen but he certainly wasn’t the slowest. I’ve actually seen slower players at his age…players who had won national and European championships.
The reason he appeared slow on the tennis court had nothing to do with his running speed (or lack thereof) - but a result of his underdeveloped perception skills.
Especially when compared to more experienced - and higher ranked - counterparts.
It’s not that he couldn’t run fast enough to track down certain balls, it’s that he wasn’t initiating his movement to the oncoming ball quick enough…ala Novak.
He had trouble judging the ball. Was the ball going to force him to move back? Or rush forward?
This is a seemingly simple concept. If the ball is short, move forward. If the ball is deep, move back. But it’s anything but easy to master…especially for beginner and younger players.
I Feel Slow!
When I play against players who are better than me, I often feel slow. It’s not because I’m slow from a physical standpoint, it’s because - for whatever reason - I’m not reading the game fast enough.
I might be late on my split-step (or not split-stepping at all).
I might not be able to handle the ball speed.
I might not be judging the ball well enough, making contact too late, too early, too high or too low.
Or maybe it’s something else entirely (we don’t always know why we feel slow or late or off-time…which is why tennis can be such a tough sport).
Contrast this to when you play someone who you’re markedly better than. You feel fast. You’re always on the ball. Their shots are no longer challenging your perceptual abilities.
Elite players - and Novak especially - feel this way most of the time. They feel fast because they read the ball early. They’re already moving and preparing for their shots before the ball even crosses the net.
Best Way to Train Perception
Research on how to augment perception skills in tennis is still mixed although certain advancements have been made.
For example, a study by Shim et al (2005) revealed that elite players had better response times and movement times when returning serves from an actual player, versus when returning serves from a ball machine. Studies from other sports, like soccer goalkeeping, have had similar findings.
This, in my opinion, has HUGE implications to training. It seems that expert performers pick up various cues from the environment, including their opponent, when making perceptual decisions.
In the case of a return of serve in tennis, the returner may pick up cues from the ball toss, the angle of the racquet at impact and so on. When returning serve in an artificial manner, performance drops because these cues are no longer available to a player.
What About Reaction Balls?
You know those reaction balls that bounce in a variety of directions? Coaches use them often when training ‘agility’ and ‘reaction time’. But are they effective/relevant?
The answer is yes and no. Yes, in the developing player they could (key word here) have some initial benefit. But for a very small window of time.
Once a player gets to a certain level of tennis, the use of these balls is limited because they don’t transfer very well to actual tennisplay. As we saw from research, artificial drills don’t correlate well with real sporting scenarios. The environments are different, the cues are different and therefore there is limited (if any) transfer to the target skill.
They might be a fun tool to use for warm-ups, but they’re likely not going to move the needle of performance in any significant or measurable way.
Matts Final Point
Remember, just because I’m good at returning shots from a machine DOES NOT mean I’ll be good at retrieving real live shots.
The best form of practice - whether that’s improving a return of serve, or retrieving a high deep backhand - is to practice those shots in a live exchange.
That means returning against a good server. A server who can hit his/her targets. A server who has the ability to hit with speed, spin and consistency. And a server who doesn’t tell you where they’re going to serve.
And don’t get me wrong, if there’s anyone who sees value in physical conditioning, it’s me. It can help augment power, reactiveness, acceleration and reduce the likelihood of injuries. I’ve seen it firsthand.
But ultimately, to move better - like Novak or other elite players - players must learn to better read the game.