French Open 2011: How to Beat Novak Djokovic

How do you beat Novak Djokovic?

Well, to be perfectly frank, you don't. At least, not this new and improved Novak Djokovic, the one who's gone unbeaten for nearly six months and 40 matches and counting.

In that span, world No. 1 (for now) Rafael Nadal has tried four times and failed, world No. 3 Roger Federer three times. World No. 4 Andy Murray came close two weeks ago in the semifinals in Rome but couldn't close the deal. The rest of the field in men's professional tennis? Forget about it.

Next up? The Argentine Juan Martin del Potro in a juicy third-round match that would be better served as a quarterfinal or semifinal showdown, if not for Del Potro's once fragile wrist, or the French Tennis Federation's seeding process, or both. Ah, what the hell—let's just blame the French. It's fun to do, and they're smarmy anyway. C'est la vie, no?

It's only fitting that Del Potro should finally get his chance to knock off Djokovic since they are the only two players not named Nadal or Federer to win a Grand Slam since the 2005 French Open.  

Can Del Potro succeed where Nadal, Federer and Murray have failed? Doubtful. Del Potro is still rounding into top form since coming back from injury, and Djokovic has shown no drop-off in his absurdly high level of play.

So, then, how DO you beat Novak Djokovic?

For starters, you have to hope Novak has an off day. It's bound to happen sometime, right? Or that, heaven forbid, he injures himself somehow sliding on the red clay. Or that he oversleeps and misses the bell. Or that he acquires food poisoning eating a tasty but bug-tainted croissant. Again, doubtful.

Okay, assuming HE doesn't beat HIMSELF, how do YOU beat Novak Djokovic?

Well, you attack him where he is weak. Let's see: He has the best backhand in the game, crosscourt and up the line, so challenge it at your own peril. He's hitting his forehand better and more aggressively than anyone else at the moment, changing direction with ease, so don't go there. His return of serve is the best in the game, so don't expect to serve him off the court.

His court coverage, speed and overall defensive skills are the best in the game, so don't expect to hit through or around him or beat him from the baseline. His much-maligned serve of yesteryear is no longer and is now a formidable weapon, generating free points with regularity, so don't expect to attack his serve.

Which leaves us with the following weaknesses: ... (crickets chirping) ...

Sacre bleu! Fini! We get it. Djokovic is a complete player, playing great, on a historic winning streak, yada yada yada. But he's bound to lose sometime, and when he does, assuming he doesn't beat himself, do tell us (and please answer the damn question!): JUST HOW DO YOU BEAT Novak Djokovic?

All right then, you've forced my hand.  

First, whoever is to beat Djokovic must serve lights out and get at least some free points, because the prospect of beating Djokovic in enough extended rallies to eke out a victory is small. Nadal couldn't do it, and Nadal is...correction: WAS...the king of extended rallies.

Second, you must play an aggressive, attacking style of tennis and take the match to Djokovic, realizing that his incredible defense may require you to win a point multiple times before actually winning it. While it's true that defense wins championships, in elite men's tennis, the best defense is an overwhelming offense that breaks down and finally through even the best defenders.

Unfortunately for most pros, playing truly offensive tennis at a consistently high level is what separates the men from the boys and explains why nobody other than Federer, Nadal, Djokovic and Del Potro has won a major in the last seven years. It also explains why Andy Murray, who is an elite defender but has been reluctant to play an attacking style when it matters most, is 0-for-3 in Grand Slam finals.

Third, and this applies more to beating Djokovic on clay at the French, you must try to use Djokovic's speed against him, which means hitting behind him whenever the opportunity presents itself.

Because clay plays so much slower than other surfaces, players with Djokovic's speed can run down most balls hit from the baseline. So the trick, if you can get control of a rally, is to get Djokovic running side to side and then hit behind him, forcing him to change directions quickly without sliding on the clay.  This is, of course, much more easily said than done, but it must be part of the overall strategy.

Fourth, get to the net and finish points at net.  At first blush, this strategy may seem counterintuitive, since clay-court tennis is typically a grind-it-out affair and generally not associated with serve-and-volley or a great deal of net play. In this particular instance, however, it is the player and not the surface that you are strategizing for, and beating Djokovic requires that you take time away from him, which means picking opportune moments to leave the baseline and come to net.

Beating Djokovic from the baseline is a losing proposition, so better to mix in a healthy dose of higher risk but potentially higher reward net play to shorten points and hopefully put Djokovic on his heels.

So WHO, if anyone, has a chance of beating Novak Djokovic at the French Open?

Only two players in the world have what it takes to beat Novak if he continues to play at his current level: Nadal and Federer.

Federer would have to turn back the clock a bit and play the kind of inspired tennis that won him 16 major titles. In his prime, he consistently played the kind of tennis Novak is playing now and enjoyed similar dominance. Federer doesn't fear Novak the way he fears Nadal, and he has the necessary offensive skills to employ a winning strategy.

I believe he is still capable of playing that well, as evidenced by his victory in the ATP World Tour Finals six months ago in London, en route to which he beat Djokovic and Nadal. Will he do it at this year's French? The smart money says he won't.

Then there's Nadal, who, despite being 0-for-4 (in tournament finals no less, the last two on clay!) against Djokovic over the last six months, is too good, too competitive, too stubborn and too smart to relinquish his title as "King of Clay," if not his No. 1 ranking, without a fight.

For years, the French Open defined Nadal until he learned how to beat Federer on other surfaces. He, like Federer, has the firepower to defeat Novak. In contrast to Federer, however, Nadal is still well within his prime.

Even with all Novak has accomplished in beating Nadal four straight times, the last two on clay, during the streak, the penultimate test for Novak will be to beat Nadal, in his prime, in a major final, on clay, at the French Open. Federer couldn't do it in three tries. Nobody's EVER done it. A victory in Paris would cement Novak's place at the top of the men's game for some time to come.

Will he do it? Or will Nadal prove, as he has done so many times before, that he can rise to the challenge when the stakes are the highest?

Je ne sais pas, but I can hardly wait to find out.