Five lessons from Roger Federer’s victory over Novak Djokovic.
1. SLOW DOWN BEFORE BIG POINTS
Novak Djokovic’s chance to win the first set of his first Grand Slam final came quickly, when three-time defend-ing U.S. Open champion Roger Federer was broken at 5-5 after he made two casual errors on his forehand. Djokovic then reached 40-0 on his serve, but that’s when he got tight. He pulled up on a couple of backhands, a sure sign of nerves, and let the moment get to him. While those nerves are difficult to fend off, taking a little more time—both before points and during them—can help. When you find yourself in a big moment, don’t rush to start the point, and don’t try to win it on the second shot of a rally. Take a few deep breaths, or maybe turn toward the back of the court and reflect for a few seconds, the way Maria Sharapova does. Adjust your strings, bounce in place—whatever you need to stay as relaxed as possible so you can play a patient point.
2. KNOW YOURSELF
Do you tighten up and play tentatively when you’re ner-vous, or do you tend to swing harder and make errors? Djokovic seemed sur-prised, and a little upset, that his nor-mally steady backhand failed him when he needed it most. The next time he’s in a Grand Slam final, he’ll know what to expect from himself in tense situations. The same applies to you. If you know you usually pull back during crunch time, aim higher over the net and con-centrate on depth. If you tend to over-hit, try for more topspin so you’ll have a greater margin for error. With expe-rience, you gain knowledge about how you react in crucial situations. Be sure to use what you learn.
3. STICK TO THE PLAN
Even after he fell behind by two sets, Djokovic didn’t change his game. The only time he played without purpose and seemed overwhelmed by the Federer aura was when he was down 2-6 in the second-set tiebreaker and uncharacteristically served and volleyed. Many players lose a set by a few points and make the mis-take of changing everything. If only a shot or two separates you and your op-ponent, your game plan is working. It’s OK to think about tightening a few as-pects of your game, but don’t overreact and make radical changes unless you’re getting killed out there.
4. TAKE NOTES
When you play someone who usually gets the better of you, you can be behind before the match begins. Djokovic came to this final with a lot more confidence than most players do against Federer, since he had beaten him in Montreal in August. Even if you have only one win over an opponent, or none, you have to remember that it’s who’s best that day, not overall, that counts. A good way to remind yourself of this is to bring a few notes to your match, like you see Justine Henin and Serena Williams do. You might go over a few things with your regular pro and jot them down to keep you thinking about how you need to play that day. Also have a Plan B ready if your initial strategy fails.
5. STEP ON THE GAS
If you happen to be playing the role of Federer (don’t we all wish!) to your opponent’s Djokovic, don’t let up after you’ve stolen a set be-cause your opponent didn’t deliver on the big points. Many people relax and think, “Phew, I was lucky to win that one.” Try to avoid this kind of thinking. If you apply enough pressure to a deject-ed opponent, you can crush his spirit in the next three or four games. The last thing you want to do is give away free points. Concentrate on putting a lot of first serves in and don’t make errors on your returns, even if you have to go for a little less. You want your opponent to know he’s in for a long day.