Category: Australian Open

One of the primary noteworthy matches today is Djokovic versus Prizmic. Now I am more than happy to confess that I have not heard of Prizmic nor have I seen him play before. Irrespective of not having seen this player he has the primary mechanics that are underscored in the What is Your Game Missing Series that puts him on the trajectory towards the Top 10. That is how frightening and in equal mouth alarming the 8 Keys are. At this stage we are quite literally at the beginning of the match and irrespective of Djokovic securing the initial break, Prizmic is definitely a head of his current ranking. Typically, if a player has been quite dominant and/or has had a stellar season, they quite readily make it onto the radar that I have personally designed that denotes players with the potential to head towards a Top 10 tennis ranking. Whilst this may be within 3 to 5 seasons and in some cases sooner, depending on their current ranking, when a player to the likes of Prizmic comes up against the number one player in the world – Djokovic, and is able to exhibit the key mechanics that are fundamental to ascend towards a Top 10 tennis ranking, it is absolutely paramount to take note.

It is really important, however, that one match does not make a season.

What we are looking for here is a level of maintenance that is oftentimes denoted by a level of consistency throughout a match but also those prior and those to come. On this basis it is incredibly too early to suggest Prizmic is a next gen player and/or has an increased likelihood to join the Top 20 come the end of the 2024 season. But it is a timely reminder that this very player does have the capacity with these key metrics that are more thoroughly explained in the 7 Keys of which the 8th Key remains the primary differential, to make his mark and solidify his place closer towards the helm of the game. That said, irrespective of the scoreline that is about to unfold given that we are still very early on in the first set, Prizmic has the capacity for key progressions in the seasons to come if this calibre of play cannot only be maintained but most significantly built upon. It goes without saying that Djokovic is equipped with, and harnesses, all 8 Keys that underscores why he continues to be a thorough threat at each Grand Slam Championship and thus this very Australian Open.

Fast forward roughly an hour and a half and we are deep in the second set at the commencement of the tiebreak. I am adamant almost without a doubt that the majority of viewers would not have anticipated the scoreline at this point. Needless to say the aforementioned metrics at the very beginning of the first set when it was tied at one game all give such a significant glimpse into how a match can potentially unfold when these specific and concise metrics are captured that a tiebreak between Prizmic and Djokovic – the number one player in the world, is not as surprising as it may seem. What is incredibly noteworthy, however, is that this player’s core metrics that I have pinpointed and I am keeping a close eye on are not as consistent when it really counts. There is a reason why this player was able to break Djokovic early in the second set, however, this was not able to be held onto and as such a tiebreak has been the consequence.

In an ironic turn of events, it is now 4 – 2 Prizmic and no matter what happens this player is one to keep a close eye on.

On another note, after going away to have a quick refresh on Prizmic to review his current ranking and age, these coincide quite nicely. Recall the initial 10 years of Play towards that second decade of play that has been touched on, on numerous occasions, and outlined in the title: “I am Your Tennis Coaching Guru” — Prizmic aligns quite nicely as there is a clear progression and trajectory that has been compounded by the player progressing to the first round of the Australian Open. And as this is a live piece, in respect to analysing in real-time whilst I type, the tiebreak has gone to Prizmic. Not only is this impressive for the 18-year-old to take Djokovic to at least four sets, towing the line with a player of Djokovic’s calibre for this newcomer, by all accounts places him a firmly on the radar as one to watch, irrespective of the outcome.

On one hand pushing Djokovic to a potential five will raise a number of eyebrows. Walking away in four against Djokovic would of course be sensational. However, as we are in the first game of the third set we all know that is incredibly too soon to tell. There is one thing for sure, and that is Djokovic’s metrics cement him as the number one player in the world and are further underscored in the the new release “How to Develop a Top 10 Tennis Ranking” that has only been out for a matter of weeks just before Christmas! In addition, the 8 Keys are equally cemented in Djokovic’s game. But this will not be forever.

Tennis is a game of metrics and percentages whereby a player and then metrics push another player to compromise their own metrics to walk away with a win. More often than not 92% of coaches and players worldwide view the game quite differently in contrast to the 8% that know the true difference that has been compounded and unearthed through incredible scientific rigour over the space of the past 11 years. That’s right, the game has changed and it is changing and to keep up with the next generation of play we have leveraged and pulled up on science alongside 150,000 inferences to build the roadmap towards the pinnacle of play. And this match up is just the beginning. 

There is one primary concern evident when viewing Prizmic and analysing his metrics to various patterns of play — the player has his left thigh heavily taped alongside his right forearm and this is not the first time the player has needed that additional support. The primary concern here is that a player of his age alongside his current progressions and trajectory will not be able to sustain the rigours of play with his current conditioning. This is a clear sign that change is essentially a mandate for this player to reach a healthy peak performance level of play. Ironically, with this additional support the player is maintaining a solid level of play early in the third set. Now imagine if the tape was not there and/or necessary to afford the player an even greater level of power and propulsion from the kinetic chain to further compound his game? Of course, this is the beginning and I am sure that Prizmic will break into the Top 100 within the next 1 to 2 months. That said, he is at risk of reaching a performance plateau later this season and potentially sooner if he requires ongoing support in contrast to further conditioning and key technical adjustments in his game, technically speaking, to ensure he has longevity on his side. To ensure Prizmic’s second decade of play is filled with key progressions, increasing his capacity to ascend towards the Top 50 and ultimately towards the Top 20, these primary ‘steps’ need to be undertaken to allow the player to have a fighting chance to become a barrier breaker inside the next 2 to 3 seasons.

Low and behold, after wrapping things up just before the third set came to a close, both players were towing the line and Prizmic was able to maintain his form to take Djokovic to another close scoreline, and not only in the third set, but also hold his own once again in the fourth. Despite Djokovic coming out on top in four, it almost goes without saying that Prizmic put on an exceptional show and afforded a glimpse into what’s to come and what’s possible with becoming aware of all 8 Keys and that this really is the beginning of the next generation of play. If anything, “How to Develop a Top 10 Tennis Ranking” serves players to the likes of Prizmic as they are on the hunt to close the gap between the current Top 10 and highlights why 2% of these players are displaced each and every season. This will become more commonplace, with greater application and consistency of all keys, than ever before, but first it starts with the 7 Keys as the 8th Key runs it home.

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