Top 4 Players Above The Rest Because of Their Defence

so says Ivan Ljubicic in his most recent interview:

Ivan Ljubicic tells the New York Times that the reason why the "Big 4" of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, and Andy Murray are dominating is due more to their excellent defense than standout offense. Former Top 5 player Ljubicic will retire after next week’s tournament in Monte Carlo.



"The young guys coming up, if they want to be competitive with Djokovic, Nadal and Murray, they cannot defend better than them, it’s not possible," Ljubicic said. "So they have to attack. I think the tactical game of tennis is going to change, and I think in the next five to 10 years, we’re going to have big guys, probably very aggressive guys."


Ljubicic, who is close friends with Federer and is also a buddy of No. 1 Djokovic, says that the despite winning four of the last five majors, the Serbian still has a big upside.


"Even now, when I go out to eat with him and I’m hanging around him, you see how focused he is on his life and tennis," Ljubicic said. "He’s really careful what he eats, how much he eats, what he drinks. He’s totally focused. He wants this thing to last. He’s not happy with what he’s achieved. He wants more, and he’s going to get more, that’s for sure."

Very interesting insight from a seasoned, quality player that has spanned two different tennis eras.

My dilemma is whether the top guys are that good defending or perhaps the young guns aren't that good with their offence.
slower playing conditions naturally don't help attacking tennis, however, that argument doesn't hold water, since the conditions are the same for all.

What are your thoughts?

Well I think speed has played an ever increasing role in all physical sports. And tennis contrary to popular opinion has always been a physical game it isn't golf or billiards. I think it will be very hard nowadays to find a player that doesn't move well and to see him have success. It is become a prerequisite to success to be very fast on the feet and fitter and fitter. I think the next progression is a player who has del po's size and power but moves more like Murray or Djokovic. The closest things we have on tour are guys like Monfils or Tsonga but they seem to lack consistency or work ethic.

socal1976 wrote:I think the next progression is a player who has del po's size and power but moves more like Murray or Djokovic. The closest things we have on tour are guys like Monfils or Tsonga but they seem to lack consistency or work ethic.

I hope not.

Look what happened in Italy today (the guy died on the pitch from cardiac arrest):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HlTzH0WbFk&feature=related

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgjhe-xe7PA&feature=player_embedded

I agree with him. The best players in terms of court coverage, speed and retrieving lost causes are the top 4. They are not slightly better, they are miles better. On a good day the likes of Tsonga and Del Potro can match them in terms of power and aggression, but nobody ever defends as well as them.

Novak in particular has taken it to a new level. Some of the balls he gets to defy belief. He has a little bit more elasticity than Nadal and Murray, and tends to do a bit more with it when he gets there than the others.

The one thing I slightly disagree with is how young players need to penetrate that group. I don't think it can be done without a great defence. Not in this generation anyway. I think young players have to have that speed and athleticism if they want to break into that group. Some people may hate it, but defence has become a huge part of the game at the top.

Personally, I'm not complaining. I love the way the top 4 play.

DelPo is ahead of his time, but now physically frail. What's coming is the antidote to the retrievers, which is more power. Could be Raonic when he get his game together.
I only wish we'd get a McEnroe for the era to skill them all off but conditions may need to change to permit this.

Good to hear it. I have read that his coach Vajda said that Nole was his last player who coaches.
When thinking about Ivo's words, I do not think that something can change dramatically regarding the game if the surfaces will not get faster. Nole's return is so aggresive as never has been before. His groundstrokes has very good depth and angles, so there is no potential to shorten up the rallies to avoid a high risk of making errors. I do not see any player who can outplay Nole by an offending game now.

paulcz wrote:Good to hear it. I have read that his coach Vajda said that Nole was his last player who coaches.
When thinking about Ivo's words, I do not think that something can change dramatically regarding the game if the surfaces will not get faster. Nole's return is so aggresive as never has been before. His groundstrokes has very good depth and angles, so there is no potential to shorten up the rallies to avoid a high risk of making errors. I do not see any player who can outplay Nole by an offending game now.

Yes, the way things are looking, you'll need someone to outNole Nole.

The thing that a lot of people kind of take for granted and don't value it as much as they should is Novak's outstanding athleticism, probably because they confuse it with fitness or stamina, also, because it's not an exclusively tennis related "talent".

That is just as powerful a weapon as Fed's forehand or Nadal's left arm

When I saw him close up in O2 against Berdych, I could not believe how good it was, his balance in most awkward and hopeless positions, toatally breath-taking.

Seriously underestimated in my opinion.

Novak is an astounding athlete/mover...but then so are Federer and Nadal. All these 3 are...you cant win multislams/masters without being an amazing mover...and thats nothing to do with stamina, or even training really, its an innate ability to get into position as well as transition between strokes. Its what usually marks these players out from a very early age...generally their foot-eye co-ordination is so much better than the others, and they have amazing inbuilt footwork to be able to exploit that co-ordination too.