Djokovic’s serve defies the years
Under the glare of late-season lights, Novak Djokovic, at 38, transforms a once-steady serve into a weapon of quiet dominance, holding off time and rivals alike as he eyes another Shanghai deep run.
In the hush before the first ball sails over the net, Novak Djokovic plants his feet, the crowd’s anticipation a palpable hum. At 38, the Serbian carries the scars of two decades on tour, each tournament a fresh test of will against the creeping pull of age. Yet his serve, refined through endless practice, now anchors his game, turning potential vulnerabilities into unbreachable holds amid the psychological grind of chasing majors and masters.
Serving surge meets mounting pressure
Djokovic has long been considered one of the best returners in tennis history. Although the Serbian is still performing well in that part of the game, he remains near the very top of the sport thanks to his improved serving. An Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers analysis shows he has won a higher rate of service games in 2025 than in all but two seasons of his career, with World No. 4 status underscoring his finish inside the Top 3 of the year-end PIF ATP Rankings in 15 of the past 18 years, including a record eight ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF honours.
Only twice has he won a better percentage of service games than this season’s 88.3 per cent, ranking fourth on the ATP Tour behind Jannik Sinner at 91.3 per cent, Taylor Fritz at 90 per cent, and Reilly Opelka at 88.7 per cent. His peak came in 2015 at 89.5 per cent, fifth tour-wide, while 2023’s 88.4 per cent trailed only Stefanos Tsitsipas. Entering the Shanghai Masters, he surges ahead of his career average of 86.1 per cent, outpacing norms in first-serve percentage at 66.6 per cent versus 64.9 per cent, and first-serve points won at 76.4 per cent against 74.2 per cent, with second-serve points steady at 55.3 per cent near his lifetime 55.5 per cent.
“I think what makes it tough is he serves well, he serves aggressive on second serves. it’s tough to take advantage of his serve for how well he also returns and just is [playing] from the baseline,” Fritz said before falling to Djokovic in this year’s US Open quarter-finals. “He backs it up incredibly well with the serve. So it’s tough to sometimes get on him the way that he’s, I guess, getting on you with the return.”
Return legacy yields to serving evolution
Three of his six best serving seasons by service games won have arrived since 2022, a shift that reveals tactical adaptation on hard courts where pace rewards precision. Before 2021, the 100-time tour-level titlist had never won more than 76 per cent of first-serve points in a season; now 2025 marks the fourth such year for the 40-time ATP Masters 1000 champion. Aces per match climb to 8.4 from a career 5.5, each delivery a sharp crack that disrupts rhythms, setting up one–two patterns with crosscourt backhands or inside-out forehands.
From 2010 through 2021, Djokovic ranked top three in return games won each qualifying year, always outpacing his service rankings. In 2022, he tied for fourth in both; 2023 saw him second in service versus fifth in returns; this year, fourth against 10th—a reversal that eases the mental load of constant aggression. Opponents face a baseline fortress backed by aggressive second serves, where underspin slices pull returns wide before down-the-line passes reclaim the point, the crowd’s roar swelling with each hold.
Tactical depth fuels late-season fire
This serving renaissance weaves into the tour’s unforgiving tempo, from Melbourne’s dawn heat to New York’s humid nights, conserving energy for prolonged rallies on outdoor hard courts. Fritz’s insight highlights the synergy: a serve that not only holds but launches offensive thrusts, turning the US Open quarterfinal’s tension into a showcase of unyielding control. As Shanghai‘s floodlights flicker on, Djokovic’s toss rises steady, promising a campaign where refined power meets enduring resolve, rivals left scrambling in the wake of his timeless command.
