ATP: How it plays Roger, Rafa and Novak

Alexandr Dolgopolov has already played against every superstar on the ATP tour. Now the Ukrainian explains what it’s like to play against the big players like Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal or Novak Djokovic.

What is it like to face the big top stars on the tour on the course? The Ukrainian Alexandr Dolgopolov gives an insight. The viewers in front of the TV simply get a twisted picture. For example, Roger Federer’s game on TV seems slower than it really is:”It’s not visible with the cameras, everything seems very soft and flat, but in reality everything happens much faster,”Dolgopolov explained in an interview with Telegraf. com.

According to the Ukrainian, the Swiss’s technique is decisive and everything looks much easier and slower,”You simply don’t have time to react on the court. I have no idea how to play him. In practice, I win sets against him and I have no chance in the match,”says the 29-year-old.

When it comes to Rafael Nadal, number 39 in the world rankings adds other factors:”His enormous spin makes it very difficult and he is left-handed”.

The topspin had already brought Nadal many victories in the matches and is the reason that the Spaniard sometimes only has to play a few balls in order to score the point, Dolgopolov continued. At the French Open, a rotation of up to 6,000 revolutions per minute was measured on the world’s number one – an absolute top value on the tour.

In nine duels Dolgopolov only won two against Nadal, both matches were not played on clay. That is also the reason for the victories:”On grass or hard pitches, his spin does not have this effect. When I won on hard court (at the Miami-Masters 2014, note of the Red.) against him, I had a lot of self-confidence. On sand it is almost impossible to beat him,”confessed the 29-year-old.

For Novak Djokovic, consistency plays a major role. According to Dolgopolov, the Serbian is “barely error-prone” and is physically so strong that it is very difficult to play a long match against him,”Novak likes to play close to the lines. It’s impossible to answer that. You are trailing behind from the very beginning,”Dolgopolov said.

This was particularly noticeable in the heyday of the Serbs. From 2011 to 2015, the twelve-time Grand Slam champion was considered to be almost invincible and often didn’t leave his competitors with the slightest chance. That this was also due to the accuracy of the Djokovic game was evident in the final of the ATP World finals in 2015. Against Federer, the ex-number-one played almost every return to the baseline and gained an enormous advantage.