How Djokovic Dominates Nadal

Novak Djokovic climbed to the top of the mountain. In the past 10 years we have witnessed Roger Federer achieve the seemingly impossible, then watched Rafael Nadal rise to dominate Federer, and finally, Novak Djokovic emerge and put both of them in his back pocket. The success of one player has inspired the next to reach further greatness, and it is now Djokovic who stands at the top of the mountain. Novak Djokovic's record-breaking 2011 wrote a new chapter in the evolution of the modern game, raising the bar to a ridiculously high level. In the process, he reversed Nadal's previous dominance of their rivalry, defeating him in Masters series events, in clay courts events in Madrid and Rome, and in Grand Slam finals at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open. How did this happen? One answer lies in understanding the patterns of play between these two great champions. Over the last few years, I have charted hundreds of professional matches, studying the nature of the exchanges between the world's best players. (Click Here.) This analysis provides us with a new perspective on the pro game, and allows us to see how the changes Djokovic made were the key to his...