Novak Djokovic picks out his most underrated shot in a revealing interview
Novak Djokovic has given an insight into the work he has put in with coach Andy Murray during their month together in America.
Djokovic suffered a defeat in his first match in Indian Wells against Botic van de Zandschulp, with his performance in that mark sparking fresh concerns over his motivation to continue his tennis career.
Yet any doubts that the 24-time Grand Slam champion could not find his drive to motivate himself for ATP Masters 1000 events has been banished at the Miami Open, as he eased through the draw in brilliantly efficient fashion.
His serve has been especially efficient in Miami, with the statistic that confirmed he missed just six first serves in his semi-final win against Grigor Dimitrov a statistic that the Serbian described as ‘incredible’.
Yet he insists there was no specific plan to work the serve with Murray, as he insisted that was not his biggest area of weakness so far in 2025.
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“I wouldn’t say particularly we paid so much attention to the serve prior to this tournament that it needed to be worked on separately from all the other shots in order to get it to a desired level,” said Djokovic.
“I think I’ve been serving pretty well this year. Maybe some other elements in my game haven’t been working particularly well, but the serve was solid.
“I mean, this is a whole different level of serving, obviously. I mean, I did not expect myself to top the serving performance of last match, where I had 83%, and I had 87% today. I missed I think five or six serves in the whole match. So that’s really amazing, amazing standard, really high standard.
“We did work on the serve – don’t get me wrong – but we did not only work on that. We actually paid more attention to some other shots in the game with Andy.”
Djokovic went on to state that the fast court in Miami was playing into his hands, as he suggested it was suiting his game style.
“It helps I think the court is playing pretty quick here, comparing to… well, I haven’t played six years,” he stated.
“Six years ago I remember it was much slower. So it does really work great when you have a big serve and you get the free points off that first serve.
“I must say was joking with Tim Henman in the post-match interview that now I know how it feels like to be [John] Isner or [Reilly] Opelka, just make most of your first serves. Maybe not as many aces as these guys, but yeah, it does help tremendously.
“It just releases that unnecessary pressure from all the other shots in your game. Then you can kind of put more pressure on the return games on your opponent.
“Obviously I’m a baseline player. Most of my career return and backhand are probably the shots that have been talked about the most when it comes to my game and success. Maybe the serve has been a bit underrated, but I always liked my serve, particularly when it comes to accuracy and precision. That’s what I was looking for.
“I was never really looking to ramp up the miles per hour on the serve. I mean, it’s great if you can serve 130-miles-an-hour serve, but I’d rather serve 120 miles an hour and hit the line and hit the perfect spot in the box because that’s what either wins you a point or gives you an easy first shot in the rally.”
“I think I’ve been serving pretty well this year. Maybe some other elements in my game haven’t been working particularly well, but serve was solid.”
Djokovic’s serve has been functioning at a remarkably high level during his return to form in Miami and he will be this enhanced weapon will be a key to his success as he looks to tick off the final targets left in his remarkable career over the next few months.
