It’s Day 4 of the Australian Open and today’s lineup has a number of insightful matches and this one does not disappoint between de Minaur and Arnaldi. By all accounts on paper Alex is a relatively straight shooter especially with his recent rise inside the Top 10 and becoming the first barrier breaker of the season. On the other hand, this presents an interesting match up against Arnaldi if he pushes Alex due to his relative consistent application of his own metrics and Alex’s increasingly high respective patterns of play. Whilst Alex has taken the first set it was by no means without a handful of key points that really packed a punch. That is to say, Arnaldi has the capacity to be quite dangerous if Alex loses his current level of concentration in conjunction with his incredibly high level of maintenance that denotes him as a Top 10 player.
Of course there are other aspects that are attributed to a Top 10 tennis ranking as outlined in our new release: “How to Develop a Top 10 Tennis Ranking”, but what is more pertinent here is Alex’s impressive movement in conjunction with his consistent application of his key patterns of play. Typically in other Top 10 players there is a variety of respective weapons to be on the lookout for. However, when it comes to Alex there are in fact a multitude of areas of his game to keep on watch. Whilst Alex is not known for a distinct power-play, his utilisation of his all-court game and his willingness to fight is another level when considering players outside the Top 10.
On this merit, Arnaldi is relatively similar in respect to his versatility. Whilst he is not a player that has been tracked due to his current ranking range and adjoining results over the past season, that could change quite readily in the upcoming season.
Why? When reviewing Arnaldi’s style of play if he has the capacity to maintain his current level of consistency whilst cementing the 7 Keys into his game, he has the initial tools that could potentially afford him to break into the Top 30 this season and maintain this ranking range. Regardless of this outcome, Arnaldi has some key metrics that signal a heightened capacity to progress that indicates he currently possesses some of the 8 Keys but by all means only a few at this stage.
When it comes to Alex this is no surprise as he has been a player I have carefully been reviewing and more stringently analysing over more recent seasons. From his rise inside the Top 30 to hovering around the Top 20 ranking range, his more recent progression inside the Top 20 and now Top 10 to become a barrier breaker is on the right trajectory that leverage our predictive analytics — explained in the title: “The 7 Keys to Optimise Your Life”. Whilst the name of this title does not do the Book justice, it explains the 7 Keys in tennis terms — required of all players should they aspire to progress towards a Top 10 tennis ranking. Moving beyond these metrics, the latest release: “How to Develop a Top 10 Tennis Ranking” outlines an incredible discovery in that, and of what 92% of players and coaches universally do not know.
That’s right, it is incredibly groundbreaking. This is also aligned with what 8% of players and coaches on tour – players and coaches alike, know but are also susceptible of regressing outside the Top 10 should their technical parameters to knowledge base become compromised and these key tools no longer a robust part of their training framework. In other words, we know explicitly why certain players to the likes of Djokovic have been able to maintain a hold inside the Top 10 for more than two seasons — and you can, too.
Of course, when it comes to Djokovic he is an exceptional example that our data not only pinpoints but also goes on to explain why he has the capacity to maintain his hold at the top echelon of play after all these years.
When considering newcomers to the next generation of play, Alex is by all means on the cusp of joining the likes of Alcaraz, Sinner and Rune with the key differential that his game is based on a very similar traits of his mentor – Hewitt. Able to not only succeed at Grand Slam level, Hewitt was also able to hold onto the No. 1 ranking without a specific weapon of play, rather his tenacity was the undoing more often than not against his fellow Top 10 opponents. On this basis, Alex has some very similar traits that need to be commended along with his progressive rise towards his current level of play that places him as a real contender to progress towards the Round 16 or further. With the capacity to make a quarter-final birth at his home Grand Slam or further, there’s one thing for sure and that is Alex has finally arrived where his metrics had placed him and projected — 4 to 5 seasons prior.
That’s right and it is incredibly exciting that our body of work is able to project a players long term capacity in 4 to 5 seasons to come. Of course, this can be sooner for some players and later for others, and this is where Arnaldi comes in with his current level of play. Whilst this is a 2nd Round encounter, Arnaldi has been able to put up a relative fight at varying stages throughout this match. The first set, for example, Arnaldi was more readily able to toe the line with Alex. However, as it is typically expected of a Top 10 player in control of their own game, from the second set Alex has run away and has brought his game to the next level as Arnaldi is no more a match for his game or level of play — albeit with a final wind in the third.
What is most interesting here is that a number of Top 10 players relatively slip in the early rounds needing an additional one or two sets prior to find their own distinct rhythm. Therefore, it is commendable for a Top 10 player who can keep their game together from the get-go when challenged on various occasions in contrast to a more mentally and physically exhausting 3 to 5 set match.
And this is an important reminder of not simply the 7 Keys and how far they can progress you towards a Top 10 tennis ranking, but how powerful the 8th Key is as it affords a player to have the tools and the capacity to maintain their hold inside the Top 10 whilst performing at an exceptional level throughout the season and at all four distinct Grand Slams in a given season. Ironically, this is the catch. The 7 Keys afford a player to ascend towards a Top 10 tennis ranking and become a barrier breaker. But the 8 Keys afford longevity whilst equipping a player to go relatively deep into a Grand Slam whilst preparing them with the framework to conditioning that delivers replicated success – more than one Grand Slam Championship title.
That’s right, this body of work and with its World 1st status has uncovered, over 11 years of stringent data analysis, is not simply how the best players in the world become the best, but how Grand Slams are won to securing a Top 10 tennis ranking and how it is maintained. This is also in conjunction with the toolkit required by both player and coach to work in tandem whilst mitigating the risk of injury along the way. And this is an incredibly important topic as it is noteworthy to highlight the number of players at the Australian Open that have protective and/or cautionary tape for some reason in contrast to preparing their body for the season ahead whilst maintaining a healthy ‘equilibrium’ in contrast to over-stressing the body. Rather, if a player’s technical parameters are in alignment with the 8 Keys, not only are injuries mitigated but these keys, collectively, further safeguard a player to ensure they can enjoy their time on court as they ascend towards the Top 10 in contrast to being derailed by the onset of an injury.
To learn more about our data, predictive analytics and how to optimise your own performance, head on over to AM8 International. To learn more about AM8 International check out our selection of Books and/or options to join Dr B’s Pack to gain exclusive access to the best in the world. Not quite ready? Head on over to Beyond Top 10 Tennis for free access to 100+ episodes directly from Dr Berge of what it really takes to win multiple Grand Slams to securing that Top 10 tennis ranking with new episodes each week. More? Catch up on our Tips over on TikTok, Twitter, Threads or Instagram for quick snippets to apply in your game, today.
