The year 2015 was a transformative one in the career of Roger Federer. The Swiss maestro introduced a new technique to his game, using the SABR, known as the Sneak Attack by Roger. It is a form of the game in which a player rushes to the net after serving. A more advanced version of the serve and volley game, Federer used this technique effectively on the tour. Recently, Russian tennis legend, Mikhail Youzhny, revealed how Novak Djokovic has taken a leaf out of Federer’s book.

The Serb had a brilliant 2023 season, in which he nearly won the Calendar Grand Slam. More of a baseline player, Djokovic underwent a significant transformation to his game. Youzhny pointed out this change which has brought success to World Number 1.

Novak Djokovic follows the path of Roger Federer

Over the last season, Djokovic has used Federer’s SABR technique effectively. The 24-time Grand Slam champion has worked with his coach to execute this skill on the tour quite often. Youzhny pointed out how it was a massive transformation for Djokovic which led to success.

Talking about this, the Russian legend said, “He really knows his body and knows how to use the energy during the match. Tennis-wise, he continued to improve.”

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Further, he went on to add, “Working with Ivanisevic, he started going more to the net – in Bercy in 2021, he went to the net so many times against Medvedev, which changed the course of the match. He wasn’t able to make such a switch in the past.”

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Youzhny is not the only one to point out this transformation in Djokovic’s game. His utilization of the SABR technique has caught the attention of the tennis world. Even the legendary coach, Darren Cahill, made an analogy between Djokovic and Federer.

What did Cahill say?

Cahill recollected how Federer used the SABR technique often as he grew older. Similarly, Djokovic is trying to cut his rallies short and approaching the net often. This led to Cahill comparing Federer and Djokovic’s SABR techniques.

He mentioned, “We saw that a little bit right with Federer the last couple of years when he made that change to a slightly larger Head racket, a bit faster racket that gave him a bit more power. So we are seeing Novak do exactly the same. I think that you see him serve and volleying much more than he used to.”

In the upcoming season, we might see Djokovic approach the net more. It is astonishing to see how Djokovic has transformed his game with age, given that he is more of a baseline player. Nonetheless, he adapts to different techniques quickly and is a quick learner. This eventually led to massive success for Djokovic.

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