Novak Djokovic has a secret weapon he’s been using at this year’s US Open, and once you see it, you’re going to want to use it yourself immediately.
I came across practice court footage of Novak from just a day before his matches in New York. At first glance it looks pretty ordinary — he’s hitting returns of serve, working through his motion, doing what pros do. But then you notice something.
Off to the side, there’s a person holding a phone, recording everything. And after a few rallies, Novak walks over, and he and his coaches huddle around that little screen together.
They’re watching the footage back. Right there on the court. Reviewing what just happened, talking through the details, then going back to work to make an adjustment.
That’s Djokovic’s secret weapon training, and honestly, it floored me to watch it.
Here’s why it matters so much for all of us.
There is a gap — for every single tennis player alive, regardless of level — between feel and real. What it feels like in your body when you hit a shot, and what is actually happening.
These two things are almost never the same.
You think your racket is doing one thing. The camera shows you something completely different. You think your preparation is early. The video shows you it’s late. You think your finish is high. The slow motion tells a different story.
If that gap exists for Novak Djokovic — arguably the greatest player to ever pick up a racket — I promise you it exists for the rest of us too.
What the phone does is close that gap instantly. No guessing. No back and forth. No vague clichés from the sideline about keeping your elbow up or following through more.
You just look at the screen and know, beyond any doubt, exactly what is happening. That changes everything about how you practice and how you improve.
I’ve been coaching for over 20 years and I see this play out constantly. Students come in with a very confident idea of what their forehand looks like. Then we pull up the footage and their jaw drops. Not because it’s terrible — sometimes it’s actually better than they thought — but because reality and perception almost never match.
And once you can see the reality clearly, you and your coach are finally on the exact same page. No more miscommunication. No more wasted time working on the wrong thing. You both saw it. You both know what needs to happen next.
Djokovic’s secret weapon training is really just disciplined use of something that every single one of us already carries in our pocket.
You don’t need a fancy analysis app. You don’t need special equipment or a slow motion camera system. The camera app on your phone is enough to start uncovering massive opportunities for improvement in your game.
Set it up on a tripod, lean it against your bag, hand it to a friend, whatever works. Just get it recording.
One of the biggest benefits of Djokovic secret weapon training is being able to clearly see the small details in your technique and decision making that are impossible to notice in real time.
And here’s the third benefit that I think is actually the most underrated one — proof of improvement.
Early on, a lot of students feel a little nervous about watching themselves on video.
It feels vulnerable. A little uncomfortable. I get it.
But within the first twenty or thirty minutes of reviewing footage together, something shifts. I show them a side by side comparison — what they looked like before and what they look like now — and suddenly it’s not intimidating anymore.
It’s inspiring. That’s why Djokovic secret weapon training can be such a powerful tool for building confidence and accelerating improvement on the court.
Because they can see with their own eyes that they look like a better tennis player. That their movement is cleaner. That their swing is more athletic. That something real is changing.
In a regular lesson without video, you never get to experience that. You just have to trust the feeling, and as we already established, the feeling lies to us constantly.
But video doesn’t lie.
And seeing objective proof that you’re moving in the right direction? That gives you motivation that nothing else can replicate.
So the next time you step on the court, bring your phone and do what Novak does with Djokovic’s secret weapon training.
Record yourself.
Watch it back.
Have a conversation with your coach about what you both actually see. Then go back out there and work on it.
Repeat that process consistently and you will improve faster than you ever have before.
Keep up the great work. I’m proud of the effort and dedication you bring to this sport every single day.
Your Coach,
-Ian
