Tag: Sabalenka

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Tennis Rankings and How to stay on track towards the Top of the Game

With 12 Books to my name and 11 of those that have specifically noted the ‘how’ behind developing a Top 10 tennis ranking alongside Grand Slam Championship wins to ‘how’ to win that maiden Slam to achieve replicated success, if there’s something remarkable to achieve across the tennis landscape there’s a very good chance I’ve researched it, investigated and compiled the data, put in the hard yards, used various analytical models developed over the past twenty years, and delivered on these outcomes.

You don’t get to be at the Top of the game as its leading scientist and authority behind these key metrics without putting in the work. Truth be told, the likes of Swiatek to Alcaraz and their respective ascension to the Top of the game was all noted by these predictive analytics. And whilst I’ve previously shared this, it’s an incredibly important reminder that what has been uncovered — this new wave of data and insights, really does deliver what no Academy and/or Club across the world really does — on repeat.

Sure, you’ve got Serena’s former coach and their Academy. You’ve got various ones here in Australia. Next you’ve got Ferrero to Henin and Clijsters, plus Nadal’s and there’s definitely a two dozen others across the landscape — then ten-fold. By all accounts, you primarily only hear about two or three of them essentially because these coaches are on the ATP tour (primarily) working with Top 10 players. That said, Serena’s former coach did not develop Rune from scratch nor Halep — they’d already peaked.

Ferrero and Alcaraz are a unique story. Same applies for Swiatek and even Jabeur to Rybakina and Sabalenka. That is to say, the WTA has done the hard work and these are not from “big name” Academy’s (at the time) — and that’s the point.

If anything, it’s about the journey and finding those who are willing to be with you on the way to the top. From inception — a new feature on AM8 International I’ve developed to help guide players and coaches, in cohesion, through to delivery-centric outcomes — that Top 10 tennis ranking and more, there’s really a lot more to it than meets the eye.

The funny thing is hundreds if not thousands of potential players are based at these Academy’s around the globe with some Clubs bigger than others. The irony here is that they’re not privy to this data nor have they repeated their results at scale. That’s the difference between them and AM8 International — I let the data do the talking. Which essentially means names from De Minaur to Ostenpenko — Top 10, Collins to Dimitrov who are having stellar seasons and one has already landed back inside the Top 10 with the other on their way, have been tracked in alignment with our data to indicate that these are by no means surprise results.

But promises are a funny thing. A romance of sorts between the dreamers to desires and bringing them to life. But can they really? Try not to fall into the trap unless they have PoW (Proof of Work) and your ranking continues to ascend alongside your performances. Granted, one can be great, but without the two you’re lopsided — you’re missing a key piece to the puzzle. And that’s okay given that 50% of the current Top 10 are missing these key metrics and are lagging so far this season.

But it starts at the foundations. The same applies for time off with injuries and how to mitigate these. But guess what? It comes down to your technical metrics and these technicalities if you may have been built and designed by yours truly — and are attributed to these ranking milestones and their respective achievements. If your coach is not privy to this ‘new’ wave of technical prowess, that Top 10 status is behind the eight ball. Alas, that’s why I designed the 8 Keys to ensure each and every player and coach has access to become the best in the world and join the next generation of play.

The catch? There is none, not really. It simply requires consistency and hard work. The commitment to learn the 7 Keys before the 8th Key runs your game home. And where’s home? Well in this context, comfortably inside that elusive 8% — inside the Top 10, opposed to the 2% that will regress each and every season (as a baseline).

If you’re not inside the Top 10 sure enough you have a long way to go. But that’s what The Long Game was built for to ensure you have a Pathway to follow without getting lost in all the jargon and over promises. For real, to bring dreams to life in contrast to letting them go due to injury and/or underperforming.

Oh, the best part? It’ll also save you ten-fold in the long run. Why? Quite simply I wanted to ensure AM8 International remained affordable and accessible for all which means irrespective of your socioeconomic background, there’s a PoI for you and a place you can go to for guidance and advice whilst keeping you up to speed with the latest insights behind progressing towards that Top 10 tennis ranking — ranked inside the WTA or ATP Top 20 or Top 10, or at the other end of the spectrum — developmental and/or a current high performance player, there are inroads to take (and tackle) step by step.

The best part? The epitome of the tennis world awaits and we’ve got the data to support it. But if anything, today’s lesson really is about caution — not everything you are told is always the truth. As in life, ulterior motives are a truth so if those dreams are as dear to you as my commitment to delivering on our promises, take a few minutes (or an hour, to be thorough) and sieve through AM8 International — then track back in a few week’s when our new upgrade becomes available. Trust me, you won’t be disappointed. If anything, you’ll be more informed and better understand the more intricate details that go on behind the scenes and where to get started — irrespective if you’re Top 500 and/or Top 50 on the WTA or ATP tour, we’ve got a place for you to ensure those dreams become a reality.

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 80+ 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.

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Day 13 Australian Open: Zheng, Yastremska, Zverev, Alcaraz, Medvedev and Hurkacz plus who’s in line for more Grand Slam Success?

It’s the Day 13 of the Australian Open and it has been a whirlwind week with a bucket load of surprises in one way, shape or form. Most recently across Day 12 the match between Gauff and Sabalenka took centre stage. Herein we’ll share the other matches that were equally as exciting with their own respective key takeaways to be addressed. One of those matches was Zheng v Yastremska and it really needs to be noted how close this match up was, but at the same time, perhaps the best tennis Zheng has played all tournament. Unfortunately for Yastremska it was Zheng who lifted her game on the points that really mattered despite the progressions that Yastremska has made this Australian Open and without a doubt has ascended back to her prior ranking high and is flagged to progressively ascend inside the Top 20 if she is able to uphold this level of play throughout the 2024 season.

On the other hand, it is Zheng who has not only made her maiden Grand Slam final but has become a barrier breaker by landing a Top 10 tennis ranking. It goes without saying that if Zheng is able to maintain her level of play exhibited in the semi-finals and to continue with this level of maintenance, she is primed to make an additional semi-final appearance this season and potentially another Grand Slam final awaits and in due course her very own Grand Slam title.

It is incredibly important to note that it is not automatic that Zheng will claim a Grand Slam title this season due to her relatively streamlined run this Australian Open in contrast to coming up against seeded players and/or former Grand Slam Champions throughout the draw in contrast to other players who were dealt a significantly harder draw than others this Australian Open.

There are two other matches that were played out on Day 12 but did not have the chance to be discussed due to the repeat of the more recent US Open final between Gauff and Sabalenka that garnered the spotlight for good reason. These two distinct quarter-final lineups between Zverev and Alcaraz, and Medvedev v Hurkacz did not disappoint and delivered their blockbuster status on multiple fronts. Both of these matches comprised of stellar performances and whilst many would have been surprised with the result of Zverev trudging away with the Win against Alcaraz despite the third set being incredibly close, Zverev’s metrics did not disappoint and they had flagged him with the potential to deliver this result irrespective of Alcaraz’s current form. This may appear rather conflicting in particular when Alcaraz is the player at the other end, however, Zverev is not only a current Top 10 player, his rate of success and his patterns of play have afforded him a place inside this ranking range over a much lengthier period in comparison to Alcaraz. This is not only due to Zverev being privy to the 7 Keys alike Alcaraz, by his integration of the 8th Key is absolutely paramount. In contrast, it really needs to be highlighted that this Australian Open Alcaraz was not able to keep all 8 Keys in check which can also be attributed to his primary Coach not being able to make the trip with Alcaraz this Australian Summer. And that is an incredibly significant indicator when reviewing key patterns of play to progressions of players at the elite echelon of play.

This now brings us to the incredible trade-off between Medvedev and Hurkacz as they went one set a piece before two, until the fifth set was an incredible decider. It has to be said that this match was breathtaking in various ways from not merely the standard of play, but also the quality delivered by both players. Insofar as Hurkacz performed, this has to be one of his highest quality matches in recent seasons and really solidified his place inside the Top 10. As a player who has regressed outside this ranking range and ascended back into the Top 10, the level of play Hurkacz was able to deliver and maintain throughout this match really signals an important change in the player’s game. And that is the readiness to preparedness by Hurkacz to progress to the semi-final stage or greater at least once this season at the Grand Slam level if he is able to maintain his current level of play.

Perhaps just as exciting, if Hurkacz can hold onto this level of play and establish a new baseline he will become even more problematic for other Top 10 players and position himself for his very own Grand Slam title in the next season if this calibre can more frequently deliver in three, in contrast to five, and to do so more consistently. 

On the other hand, Medvedev was absolutely solid and despite going down in two of the five sets, he was the player who was more steadfast and able to maintain his baseline, even if the separation between the two was evident in the micro-discrepancies as discussed in the “What is Your Game Missing Series” and “The 7 Keys to Optimise Your Life”. These micro-discrepancies remain as the differential between these players at the absolute elite level of play. And this is where The Power of the 8th Key really comes into its own. When considering the baseline and quality of play delivered by Medvedev, there is no surprise in the player progressing to the semi-final stage as not only a Grand Slam Champion in his own right, but also a finalist at the Grand Slam level on multiple occasions. Without a doubt, Medvedev is one of only a handful of current players who has the capacity and active baseline that aligns with their level of maintenance and distinctive patterns of play that place him in a unique position of progressing to the semi-final stage and ultimately be one of the final two competing for the Championship title throughout a given season. That said, if Medvedev’s current baseline begins to fluctuate, so will his capacity to reach this stage of a Grand Slam and the likelihood of him claiming another Grand Slam title will not be as streamlined, and/or as increasingly likely, as is his current level of play throughout the most reason three seasons has carried over once again into the 2024 season.

On that merit alone it cannot be understated how accomplished Medvedev is along with his level of play that he would undoubtedly have a number of additional Grand Slams to his name if it were not for the arrival of Alcaraz and the continued dominance of Djokovic and most recently Sinner the past season. All in all, there is a reason why Medvedev has maintained his place not simply inside the Top 10 for a number of seasons, but his place primarily inside the Top 3 with his active baseline primed for more with slight technical variance that will allow Medvedev to more rapidly Win against his primary rivals — Djokovic, Alcaraz and Sinner. 

To learn more about AM8 International check out our selections of Books to 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 to access 60+ episodes directly from Dr Berge of what it really takes to win multiple Grand Slams to securing that Top 10 tennis ranking. More? Catch up on our Tips over on TikTok, Twitter, Threads or Instagram for quick snippets to apply in your game, today.

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Australian Open Day 12: Sabalenka v Gauff Round Up and How the Winner was Set Before the Bell Drops

It’s Day 12 of the Australian Open and its women’s semifinal day — an absolute favourite time of each Grand Slam as these are the four players that are flagged for various reasons for the current season and the one to follow when these kind of results are achieved. In previous pieces exclusively shared for the 2024 Australian Open, I’ve taken a step back and focused on core metrics. These include the 7 Keys to the newest release “How to Develop a Top 10 Tennis Ranking: the Power of the 8th Key”. But what I am yet to share is a more refined take and one that is more explicit as to why a player will move the marker and potentially claim that maiden Grand Slam or replicated success.

Both Sabalenka and Gauff hold one Grand Slam Championship a piece which means they’re both primed to achieve replicated success if their metrics continue along their current trajectory. For those who are not familiar, replicated success is more than one Grand Slam and as more scientifically extrapolated in “What is Your Game Missing, to Win?”. I can still recall when I stumbled across this and figured it out. I was beside myself — in a very good way! Fancy unraveling how to Win more than one Grand Slam and to know more explicitly what a tennis player (and coach) needs to do to get to this level of play.

This is where science rocks. Like, literally rocks my socks off to be able to share these kind of data intense outcomes.

But this is a rematch of the US Open final in the Australian Open semifinal which should very well be another final — but that’s the nature of the draw. Either way, it’s 2-2 and even though this will become available after the result, I thought it would be fun to share a few key snippets from both Sabalenka and Gauff that are void from any commentary you may have heard. Because this is where it gets interesting.

Believe it or not, Gauff is primed to Win her next Grand Slam but her greatest asset is in her ability to gauge those patterns of play and to execute. The irony here is that the same applies to Sabalenka. So how does one defeat the other? Contrary to popular belief it comes down to their frequency in their metrics. I hope by this point you’re familiar with them and that you’ve heard me rattle them off almost on repeat. Why? Because again, this is how substantial these metrics are.

Nope, strategy can be pushed aside. At this level of play you’re on an even playing field. But what’s not ‘even’ is the level of consistency in the respective patterns. And by patterns this is where the opponents game falls apart courtesy of the forerunner keeping their patterns in check.

For example, Sabalenka is up 4-2 at this point courtesy of Gauff’s metrics slightly fluctuating — momentum isn’t as consistent due to her positioning and Sabalenka is in direct contrast. Both of these players have very similar levels of play — No. 2 and No. 4 in the world respectively. And this is how the best players in the world beat the best to Win Grand Slams.

Now before feathers get ruffled, remember this is backed by science. And when I say science, sure that’s data science to extreme technical analyses of players on the WTA and ATP tours over an 11 year period — that’s excluding years prior to explicit data capture which is another decade. Needless to say, I’ve become rather familiar with these metrics and why that places me in this unique position to share this key differential and why if you want to become a Top 10 player and gain that edge — you come to me. The same goes if you’re at the beginning of better ascertaining what it takes — you’ll head directly to the Books I’ve authored around this very topic.

At 5-2 in the first set, what is Gauff to do? Well, Sabalenka is primed to close this set shortly with one more hold of serve and despite the commentary Gauff isn’t playing bad — it’s really just one break. Sabalenka came out firing and Gauff needed a little extra before she started buzzing — that’s all it takes to snag a break. But at 5-3 it is clear Gauff has amped her level to hold her own now with Sabalenka. So again, how do you differentiate the two?

Look how Sabalenka is fluidly ‘flying’ through her balls. Look at that rhythm. In contrast, look how Gauff — ever so slightly, is lagging in this respect. You’ve heard me write about how the kinetic chain is involved and how “The Science of Elite Performance” runs this home in immense detail. And if there’s a blip, the other player will capitalise. And guess what? Sabalenka has started to stand taller at 5-4 — that’s not a good thing. Guess who’s maintained their depth? That’s right, it’s in the micro discrepancies first shared in “What is Your Game Missing?” and Gauff has secured the break back. This isn’t surprising. But then again, maybe for someone beginning or not familiar with these metrics it may take you a few clicks to follow. And that’s okay.

There’s a reason why it has taken 11 Books to explicitly share what it takes to Win a Grand Slam to achieve a Top 10 ranking plus so much more. From 10 Years of Play plus your second decade of play, there’s a lot of work involved to get ready for the pinnacle of play. And at 5-5 now in the first set, this is where I’m going to leave it. I’ll continue watching now as I’m sure you are (or were) and let this piece find its way as “what was” and “why” between this popcorn worthy encounter and let’s see who brings home the Win.

If there’s one thing for sure, I know who’ll walk away with that Win and so much more, but where’s the fun if I lay it all on the line before the bell drops?

To learn more about AM8 International check out our selections of Books to 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 to access 60+ episodes directly from Dr Berge of what it really takes to win multiple Grand Slams to securing that Top 10 tennis ranking. More? Catch up on our Tips over on TikTok, Twitter, Threads or Instagram for quick snippets to apply in your game, today.