By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Saturday, March 29, 2025
Photo credit: Miami Open by Itau
Tennis is ultimately a game measured by numbers.
The reigning Grand Slam champion, Novak Djokovic, has dedicated his career to assembling an impressive array of powerful statistics.
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At 37 years old, the Serbian icon has graced 142 finals, secured 99 titles, including a staggering 24 Grand Slam trophies, and boasts the record for the most weeks as world No. 1 across both ATP and WTA with an astonishing 428 weeks. His prize money has also shattered records, amassing over $182 million to date.
It takes a remarkable feat to impress Djokovic.
In Miami, the fourth-seed’s serving finesse has truly captivated the champion, who described it as an “amazing, amazing standard.”
Delivering his strongest serving display of the year, Djokovic achieved an incredible 87 percent first-serve percentage today, winning 31 out of 39 points on his first serve, smashing five aces, and faced merely two break points while effortlessly defeating his long-time friend Grigor Dimitrov in a swift 70-minute semifinal. This came on the heels of a stellar serving performance, where he maintained 84 percent and struck 11 aces against Sebastian Korda in a physically demanding quarterfinal.
“I’ve been serving quite well this year,” Djokovic shared with the press in Miami. “There may be other areas of my game that haven’t been as sharp, but my serve has been excellent, and today was a whole different level.”
“Honestly, I didn’t anticipate surpassing my previous serving performance of 83%. To hit 87% today, while only missing five or six serves throughout the match, is truly incredible—an amazing standard, really high quality.”
This season, Djokovic’s holding serve percentage stands at an impressive 88.19%, ranking him seventh in the ATP Tour. French powerhouse Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard leads with a remarkable 93.86%, followed closely by Matteo Berrettini at 90.91%, and American Taylor Fritz at 90.37%.
Such serving prowess has granted the Open Era’s finest returner a taste of what it feels like to dominate the serve like Reilly Opelka or Nick Kyrgios.
Returning to the Miami Open for the first time since 2019, Djokovic attributes his success to the accelerated serve speed and his immediate comfort found in hitting his targets this week, as he approaches his eighth Miami Open final against Jakub Mensik.
“I joked with Tim Henman during the post-match interview about how now I understand what it feels like to be Isner or Opelka, focusing predominantly on my first serves,” Djokovic remarked. “While I may not have as many aces as those guys,…
“The advantage of serving well is significant; it takes a lot of pressure off the rest of my game, allowing me to put more pressure on my opponents during their return games.”
Hall of Famer Andre Agassi has hailed Djokovic as the greatest returner of all time, while fellow Hall of Famer John McEnroe refers to him as “the greatest mover on a hard court I’ve ever seen.” Many competitors have also acknowledged him as the most exceptional groundstroker of the Open Era.
Interestingly, one facet of Djokovic’s game that often flies under the radar is his serving.
In the earlier days of his career, Djokovic struggled with more double faults than aces, but through relentless effort, he transformed his serve into a weapon.
Over the years, he has collaborated with three legendary server coaches—Goran Ivanisevic, Boris Becker, and Todd Martin— and credits a lot of his improved serve to the extensive work he has done with new coach Andy Murray.
“Certainly, I’m a baseline player. For most of my career, my return and backhand have received the most attention when discussing my success,” Djokovic noted. “Perhaps my serve has been slightly undervalued. Despite that, I’ve always taken pride in my serve, particularly when it comes to its accuracy and precision. That was my main focus.”
“I never aimed for sheer speed on my serve. Sure, a 130-mph ace is fantastic, but I’d prefer to hit 120 mph and land it precisely where I want it, as that’s what can win a point or create an easier first shot in the rally.”
