Djokovic does what he does best—including serving—in two-day, fourth-round win over Bautista Agut

After putting himself a game away from the French Open quarterfinals in a weather-afflicted match that began yesterday, world No. 1 Novak Djokovic stared upward at his greatest challenge: a routine overhead. The stakes weren’t as high as some other shots Djokovic has faced near the net at Roland Garros—remember his 2013 semifinal?—but nonetheless, this seemingly simple stroke vexed tennis’ valedictorian yet again. With yawning red clay surrounding him, Djokovic hit the ball at a stationary Roberto Bautista Agut, who then calmly guided it past the Serb for a winner.

Having already rallied from 2-4 down in the fourth set, Djokovic was hoping for a routine 6-5 game, as routine as most pros swat overheads out of the sky.

Djokovic would go on to win that game, securing a spot in Paris’ elite huit. He did it with a steady yet overwhelming barrage of baseline fundamentals. He did with a little help from Bautista Agut, who tensed up with a chance to earn double break point in the final game. And he did it with his serve—which seems counterintuitive for someone which such an unreliable overhead.

Djokovic’s overhead may be his most troubling shot, but his serve is his most underrated. When you think of Djokovic, who with today’s 3-6, 6-4, 6-1, 7-5 victory eclipsed $100 million in career earnings, you think of his impenetrable two-handed backhand, his knockout forehand and his aggressive service return. But a shot equally as responsible for his recent run of success is his serve. On both first and second deliveries, it is struck confidently, with purpose, and has become another sharp arrow in Djokovic’s quiver. It wins him points, and just as importantly, prevents him from having to expend resources in draining baseline rallies, particularly on a surface as slow as the terre battue.

“The conditions are obviously slower,” Djokovic told Tennis Channel’s Jon Wertheim on a dry but overcast day at Roland Garros. “I’m just glad to have this kind of challenge.”

Gone are the days when Djokovic’s serve was noted for how many times he bounced the ball before it. He is in a much better mental place when it comes to this shot, the one players have complete control over but feel the most pressure to hit.

Djokovic needed to be in that place after three hours of play, and with the prospect of a fifth set at hand. His serve bailed him out of that final game, especially after Bautista Agut saved a match point at 30-40 following a 20-plus shot rally. At deuce, Djokovic earned a second match point with just one shot, an unreturned first serve. He then served wide in the ad court, eliciting a short return from Bautista Agut. Djokovic was made to hit a precise forehand and finish the point with a volley, but he was never in danger because of his serve’s original placement.

When Wertheim asked Djokovic if today—really, the past two days—was simply a case of surviving and advancing, the Serb agreed, but added, “not just result wise, but mentally, hanging in there, trying to hold your composure, try to be serene in the tough moments.”

It isn’t as if Djokovic’s serve is a shot the advanced stats community will love, or one that will be called one of the game’s greatest. And in truth, his service numbers against Bautista Agut weren’t great—he was broken six times and won under 65 percent of his first-serve points. But in the moments where Djokovic needed his serve most, he didn’t blink. Ultimately, that’s a quality most top players possess, and those a tier below them don’t.

Djokovic didn’t always have this assurance. He won tournaments, even Grand Slams, in spite of his serve, not because of it. That changed two years ago at Wimbledon. At the time, Djokovic had lost three consecutive Grand Slam finals, and his incredible 2011 season was receding further into the rear-view mirror. Roger Federer, having put a torturous 2013 season behind him, looked primed to extend Djokovic’s misery at the majors. He entered the Wimbledon final on a vintage roll and firing his serve, a lethal weapon on grass.

But it was Djokovic who would win the match, which changed the course of his career; including that victory, he’s won five of the last seven Slams. And it was Djokovic who served best on Centre Court. He was broken just three times in the five-set win, and won 65 percent of his second-serve points.

“I couldn’t figure out why I wasn’t breaking Novak’s serve,” Federer said after the match, “or actually creating opportunities. It’s one thing not to break...but it was really not creating enough opportunities to put Novak under pressure. He was doing a good job on his serve.”

It’s no coincidence that Boris Becker, owner of a great serve in his day, was in Djokovic’s corner that day. The bond between the two men has only strengthened since then, just like the quality of Djokovic’s serve. It’s the shot whose power is negated most by the slow clay at Roland Garros, but also the shot that is arguably most important to Djokovic’s success there.