How Djokovic returns Raonic’s serves
Milos Raonic’s serves put Alex Dolgopolov and Jo Tsonga on their heels swatting at the ball in Madrid. But Novak Djokovic somehow managed to step in and rocket returns at Raonic’s feet, including three in a row near the end of his 6-3, 6-4 quarterfinal victory. Here’s how Djokovic answered my question in Madrid about his returns:
NOVAK DJOKOVIC:
“I think it’s a combination of the right positioning, preparation before the match, and analyzing his serves and his patterns when things get tough.”
“Every single player, especially big servers, have their patterns when it’s close. But sometimes it’s just instinct. It’s just anticipation and trying to be in the right balance and look at the toss and maybe during the match get into his serve a little bit more.”
“If he serves close to the line, 220 (kilometers per hour), not much you can do about it. I thought that I covered most of my angles and returns very well and always made him play an extra shot. That was obviously planned.”
(text and images copyright Christopher Johnson Globalite Media all rights reserved)
