Smith: Djokovic is like a rubber man. Federer is so effective because...
In an interview in Newport, as quoted by ATP, the former world No. 3 Stan Smith praised Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic who are still playing their best tennis after turning 30 years old. Speaking of the Swiss, who was very close to win his 21st Grand Slam title in last week's Wimbledon, the American said: “One of the keys I think for him is his balance. He stays in good balance when he hits the ball and so it prevents him from being injured and it also makes him consistent and also enables him to recover much better after he hits a wide shot, for instance. He’s in such good balance, he doesn’t have to take an extra couple of steps to recover his balance. He hits the ball on balance even when he’s moving hard to get back into the point. That’s one of the reasons he’s been so effective.”
Smith added: “Djokovic is like a rubber man. He’s got unbelievable flexibility. I think part of it is genetics and part of it is he works at it. He works at his flexibility. Jimmy Connors had tremendous flexibility in the upper body, kind of contorting. Even Rafa is able to get in some very tough positions and be able to recover back into the court. Flexibility is quite important."
Smith attended the International Tennis Hall of Fame ceremony to award Li Na, Yevgeny Kafelnikov and Mary Pierce.
from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/2ZgtM6W
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