Seeds keep tab on rivals
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NOVAK Djokovic has never played his next opponent Gilles Muller at the Australian Open yet will intimately know what to expect through extensive video analysis. The Serb world No. 1 is renowned for his thorough match preparation, whether mentally, through his diet or on the practice court.
He keeps up to speed with his opponents by analyzing their strengths and weaknesses through video research to give him the information of what to expect in his matches.
“It’s my job to know my colleagues, tennis players, especially if I get to play them, so I do my homework. I sit down with the team and prepare myself well with the video analysis,” he said.
“Many players have talent, great shape and tactics, but what usually makes the difference is not form or ranking, but mental preparation for the upcoming match. I also devote more attention to that.”
Djokovic is chasing a fifth Australian Open and eighth grand slam crown.
“He’s got a great serve, lefty. So I think the match against (Fernando) Verdasco will help me in the next one, as well,” Djokovic said. “He has a similar game, except he serves on volleys and he comes to the net. He has a nice slice serve. That’s his favorite.”
Leading players keep tabs on their opponents and their own performances in various ways.
World No. 3 Rafael Nadal uses French Babolat technology on his racquet in practice which records technical data on every ball he plays, from where the ball strikes the racquet to what kind of shots he uses. The information is then sent to software that can crunch the data into meaningful analytics, such as the number of shots, number of strokes, smashes, serves and impact zone on the string bed.
“When you finish practice it is a help to see how many forehands you played, how many backhands so you know you are doing the right thing,” Nadal said.
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