Very interesting recap and I also got the feeling that Dimitrov was less patient than in other matches. He probably needed to slice more just like Rafa did against Djokovic a few years back. Only Wawrinka would have his way against Sinner. No other backhand could push him back. And even Fed did not have that type of backhand. There was something else I noticed...
Dimitrov threw in the towel. He started making bonehead plays and just gave up. I have NEVER seen Rafa, Fed or Djokovic give up. Even Fed when he was being run around by Djokovic in an AO final a few years back, would keep playing. Maybe Fed on clay against Rafa was the closest to a meltdown. But still, Dimitrov stopped fighting. He did not try to change things up. Do something else. Slice everything. Just find a way to stay out there a bit longer. These are all qualities that a champion uses to their advantage. Even when the other player is firing just hang around. 6-3, 6-4 is better than 6-3, 6-1. It will stay in a player's mind the next time.
Even if he lost in straight sets, I think he should have tried to hang around and disrupt Sinner in some way. I suppose that there are only a few who can do this and Alcaraz is one of those who can change his game. I was a bit disappointed at Dimitrov laying down in the second set without trying to get Sinner to keep hitting at the same level.
I know that it is easy to judge from a distance but still. Even if you are losing don't throw away points. I am hearing Yogi Berra here.
I think Dimitrov's lack of patience shows a lack of experience at the biggest stage, especially when you're playing so well but the opponent is just so overwhelmingly better than you. I dont think he paused enough for a second to think of shifting to plan B or C. I think pre-match he had already decided that there was only one way he could beat Sinner and that was to go absolute gung ho from the first point. That worked as an element of surprise againt a tired Alcaraz but Sinner was already expecting it before the match, and hence was so comfortable dealing with that style. In Dimitrov's mind, it was that he had to commit to the all out attack style at all costs, stay consistent with it AND hope that Sinner's level dips. Unfortunately he just couldnt out-blitz Sinner without that element of surprise
A very low-importance correction: you note that FAA and Popyrin were the only two-handers whose average RPM exceeded Sinner's, but there's also Ruud -- whose forehand RPMs sent him so far off to the right that he's hard to spot!
Welcome, Istiaq! Sinner is right up there for power on both wings, but probably number 1 for power and spin on the backhand. Greatest strength used to be his power, but the last six months he has improved his serve, movement, defense, and shot selection so it's hard to say what is his greatest strength now; does so many things very, very well.
Great analysis as usual! Going on with the season I feel like one of the main problems for Sinner on clay was stamina (see the 6-1 5-7 5-7 defeat with Rune last year). Now stamina seems to have become one of his strong points, plus a much improved serve that gives him more free points. His net game has also improved immensely and he looks maybe not natural, but certainly a lot more comfortable at the net. I feel like he can do well on the dirt too, but we'll see how well, it's going to be interesting.
Considering how bad he did last year after the semi in Montecarlo he has almost no points to defend, and a true chance at No.1 with a couple of good runs after that.
Not enough Nole gifs, too much FRAUDerer and Nadal otherwise good stuff as usual. Unrelated to tennis your username on Talk Tennis - "Zoid", where did you get that name from? + your profile pic on twitter, where's that from also?.
Zoid is a joke term some of my college friends used to describe a forehand. I can't even remember why now I think of it — I'll get in touch with some and see if I can figure that one out. The twitter pic is a depiction of the antagonist in Blood Meridian, Judge Holden, who is as evil as he is preternaturally gifted in many fields, but he has many memorable quotes, such as the 'thread of order' one that this newsletter is named after. Highly recommended reading.
Didn't manage to catch this match but saw the whole of the Zverev and Alcaraz matches. Dimi was on fire and honestly an absolute joy to watch, 'middleweight' tennis near its finest with some great cat and mouse points. Congrats to him on a great fun and hope he holds this level or near it for a year or two more.
Nice read Clarke. Agree re dimitrov going toe to toe with Sinner would never end well, thought he should use short slice, more loopy balls, serve and volley. Try to break his rhythm.
Sinner - what a player though, athleticism is underrated, his balance at end range is absolutely insane. Interesting when you look at the body shape of him and Novak, so similar.
This. His balance and ball control at end range are so riduclously like Djokovic. These players have grown up watching the Big 3 and have tried to assimilate each of the 3's best attributes. Obviously they havent copied a lot of technical stuff from Nadal's game since Nadal's game is so utterly unique and difficult to replicate
When Dimitrov went for topspin BH, I felt that he both nailed some tremendous down-the-line ones you can't really expect to land and hit a few B-to-B regulation backhands to the net cord, as if he needed to punch them more. Sinner would still have won with fewer opponent UE (a big cushion from 59% points won!) but I think I speak for everyone if I say that I would have liked to watch them for a few more games.
I'm pointing out the obvious as this has been mentioned many times, but the more I watch the two young guns:
Sinner = Djokovic
Alcaraz = Federer
Those stretched out Sinner backhands were so Novak like that I thought I was seeing things.
It's almost like we are seeing the Roger/Novak rivalry on equal ages now. Will Carlos's ingenuity be able to blunt Jannik's consistency? As a fan of both, I fear Carlos will be on the short end of the stick in the long run, but man - fingers crossed they both have long and healthy careers - we are in for a great rivalry.
I dont know, for some weird reason, I still think Alcaraz has a lot more to improve even now. And he's the more comfortable of the 2 on clay naturally. Being good on clay is 1/4th of the season so that always helps (go ask Nadal). Just his variety, the power he posses off the FH and his total repertoire of shots is something even Sinner doesnt have (yet). Having said that, Alcaraz's game will only go so far as his serve. He needs to be more Federer/Djokovic-like and be more consistent and accurate with his serve as he is never going to be a big server. The future sure looks bright!
Carlos also of course reminds me of Nadal when it comes to getting to anything.... Never give up, never say die. He literally turns sure winners into a rally, which is what Rafa used to do when he was as young as Carlos.
It's really shot selection and laying off some of those irretrievable balls that Carlos can do to improve his odds at winning. As he gets older, he will learn - he's just too smart not to. I agree with you that Alcaraz has a higher ceiling than Sinner. Really looking forward to the clay season. I can see Jannik doing well in MC...
I think it's subconscious for him but part of the reason Alacarz tries to chase down every single thing (to the detriment of his stamina in the long run) is to entertain the crowd. He loves entertaining the crowd and always plays better in a big stadium (something Nadal did too). Both are entertainers and thrive off the energy of the people
Yeah. That part of his game will be tougher to do, but his defence the past 6 months has been equally impressive; so many end-range shots from deep behind the baseline, have also been a feature of Sinner since the US Open
The sheer comfort with which Sinner slides into his shots nowadays, when defending off both wings is amazing and will work even better on clay, even if he isnt that natural on clay. On clay, easily the most important thing to do for SInner is to improve his movement on the surface. I still think he has a year or two to improve to a level that will make him a perennial contender at RG. Then again, Alcaraz made the sudden leap on grass last year ala Nadal 2006, so what do I know.
Very interesting recap and I also got the feeling that Dimitrov was less patient than in other matches. He probably needed to slice more just like Rafa did against Djokovic a few years back. Only Wawrinka would have his way against Sinner. No other backhand could push him back. And even Fed did not have that type of backhand. There was something else I noticed...
Dimitrov threw in the towel. He started making bonehead plays and just gave up. I have NEVER seen Rafa, Fed or Djokovic give up. Even Fed when he was being run around by Djokovic in an AO final a few years back, would keep playing. Maybe Fed on clay against Rafa was the closest to a meltdown. But still, Dimitrov stopped fighting. He did not try to change things up. Do something else. Slice everything. Just find a way to stay out there a bit longer. These are all qualities that a champion uses to their advantage. Even when the other player is firing just hang around. 6-3, 6-4 is better than 6-3, 6-1. It will stay in a player's mind the next time.
Even if he lost in straight sets, I think he should have tried to hang around and disrupt Sinner in some way. I suppose that there are only a few who can do this and Alcaraz is one of those who can change his game. I was a bit disappointed at Dimitrov laying down in the second set without trying to get Sinner to keep hitting at the same level.
I know that it is easy to judge from a distance but still. Even if you are losing don't throw away points. I am hearing Yogi Berra here.
I think Dimitrov's lack of patience shows a lack of experience at the biggest stage, especially when you're playing so well but the opponent is just so overwhelmingly better than you. I dont think he paused enough for a second to think of shifting to plan B or C. I think pre-match he had already decided that there was only one way he could beat Sinner and that was to go absolute gung ho from the first point. That worked as an element of surprise againt a tired Alcaraz but Sinner was already expecting it before the match, and hence was so comfortable dealing with that style. In Dimitrov's mind, it was that he had to commit to the all out attack style at all costs, stay consistent with it AND hope that Sinner's level dips. Unfortunately he just couldnt out-blitz Sinner without that element of surprise
A very low-importance correction: you note that FAA and Popyrin were the only two-handers whose average RPM exceeded Sinner's, but there's also Ruud -- whose forehand RPMs sent him so far off to the right that he's hard to spot!
good pickup! I will correct
just found your page. really enjoyed the analysis. curious, where do you think Sinner ranks in terms of power? and what is his greatest strength?
Welcome, Istiaq! Sinner is right up there for power on both wings, but probably number 1 for power and spin on the backhand. Greatest strength used to be his power, but the last six months he has improved his serve, movement, defense, and shot selection so it's hard to say what is his greatest strength now; does so many things very, very well.
Great analysis as usual! Going on with the season I feel like one of the main problems for Sinner on clay was stamina (see the 6-1 5-7 5-7 defeat with Rune last year). Now stamina seems to have become one of his strong points, plus a much improved serve that gives him more free points. His net game has also improved immensely and he looks maybe not natural, but certainly a lot more comfortable at the net. I feel like he can do well on the dirt too, but we'll see how well, it's going to be interesting.
Considering how bad he did last year after the semi in Montecarlo he has almost no points to defend, and a true chance at No.1 with a couple of good runs after that.
Number 1 by Wimbledon is a possibility for sure
Not enough Nole gifs, too much FRAUDerer and Nadal otherwise good stuff as usual. Unrelated to tennis your username on Talk Tennis - "Zoid", where did you get that name from? + your profile pic on twitter, where's that from also?.
Zoid is a joke term some of my college friends used to describe a forehand. I can't even remember why now I think of it — I'll get in touch with some and see if I can figure that one out. The twitter pic is a depiction of the antagonist in Blood Meridian, Judge Holden, who is as evil as he is preternaturally gifted in many fields, but he has many memorable quotes, such as the 'thread of order' one that this newsletter is named after. Highly recommended reading.
Didn't manage to catch this match but saw the whole of the Zverev and Alcaraz matches. Dimi was on fire and honestly an absolute joy to watch, 'middleweight' tennis near its finest with some great cat and mouse points. Congrats to him on a great fun and hope he holds this level or near it for a year or two more.
He's great for the game.
Nice read Clarke. Agree re dimitrov going toe to toe with Sinner would never end well, thought he should use short slice, more loopy balls, serve and volley. Try to break his rhythm.
Sinner - what a player though, athleticism is underrated, his balance at end range is absolutely insane. Interesting when you look at the body shape of him and Novak, so similar.
Balance, ball control and power at end range *
That's a good point. You often don't get a weak reply from him after your best shot.
This. His balance and ball control at end range are so riduclously like Djokovic. These players have grown up watching the Big 3 and have tried to assimilate each of the 3's best attributes. Obviously they havent copied a lot of technical stuff from Nadal's game since Nadal's game is so utterly unique and difficult to replicate
When Dimitrov went for topspin BH, I felt that he both nailed some tremendous down-the-line ones you can't really expect to land and hit a few B-to-B regulation backhands to the net cord, as if he needed to punch them more. Sinner would still have won with fewer opponent UE (a big cushion from 59% points won!) but I think I speak for everyone if I say that I would have liked to watch them for a few more games.
I'm pointing out the obvious as this has been mentioned many times, but the more I watch the two young guns:
Sinner = Djokovic
Alcaraz = Federer
Those stretched out Sinner backhands were so Novak like that I thought I was seeing things.
It's almost like we are seeing the Roger/Novak rivalry on equal ages now. Will Carlos's ingenuity be able to blunt Jannik's consistency? As a fan of both, I fear Carlos will be on the short end of the stick in the long run, but man - fingers crossed they both have long and healthy careers - we are in for a great rivalry.
I think these guys will one-up each other for a while to come.
I dont know, for some weird reason, I still think Alcaraz has a lot more to improve even now. And he's the more comfortable of the 2 on clay naturally. Being good on clay is 1/4th of the season so that always helps (go ask Nadal). Just his variety, the power he posses off the FH and his total repertoire of shots is something even Sinner doesnt have (yet). Having said that, Alcaraz's game will only go so far as his serve. He needs to be more Federer/Djokovic-like and be more consistent and accurate with his serve as he is never going to be a big server. The future sure looks bright!
Carlos also of course reminds me of Nadal when it comes to getting to anything.... Never give up, never say die. He literally turns sure winners into a rally, which is what Rafa used to do when he was as young as Carlos.
It's really shot selection and laying off some of those irretrievable balls that Carlos can do to improve his odds at winning. As he gets older, he will learn - he's just too smart not to. I agree with you that Alcaraz has a higher ceiling than Sinner. Really looking forward to the clay season. I can see Jannik doing well in MC...
I think it's subconscious for him but part of the reason Alacarz tries to chase down every single thing (to the detriment of his stamina in the long run) is to entertain the crowd. He loves entertaining the crowd and always plays better in a big stadium (something Nadal did too). Both are entertainers and thrive off the energy of the people
With your sense of humour on opening up to subscribers it’s hard not to pay!
I thought this was an April Fools' special!
It did dawn on me afterwards that the timing was not great
It is going to be very interesting to me to see how Sinner applies his video game ping pong hugging the baseline game to the clay season.
Yeah. That part of his game will be tougher to do, but his defence the past 6 months has been equally impressive; so many end-range shots from deep behind the baseline, have also been a feature of Sinner since the US Open
The sheer comfort with which Sinner slides into his shots nowadays, when defending off both wings is amazing and will work even better on clay, even if he isnt that natural on clay. On clay, easily the most important thing to do for SInner is to improve his movement on the surface. I still think he has a year or two to improve to a level that will make him a perennial contender at RG. Then again, Alcaraz made the sudden leap on grass last year ala Nadal 2006, so what do I know.