Serena Williams’ former coach Rick Macci suggests that Novak Djokovic’s ability to become the greatest tennis player of all time while competing in the same era as Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal is the most impressive aspect of his success.
When Djokovic emerged in the tennis world, Federer was widely considered the top player in the game and Nadal had already won a Grand Slam. During that time, Federer was expected to achieve the greatest success in tennis history, and many believed Nadal would come close to matching the Swiss player’s accomplishments.
However, after winning his first Grand Slam title at the 2008 Australian Open, Djokovic formed the Big Three with Federer and Nadal, ultimately surpassing them to achieve the greatest success in tennis history. Currently, Djokovic holds the record for the most Grand Slam titles with 24 and has spent the most weeks at the world No. 1 ranking.
“What I admire most about Djokovic is that he became the greatest of all time with Federer and Nadal by his side. @DjokerNole,” Macci wrote on X.
At the recent Australian Open, Djokovic suffered his first defeat since 2018 and failed to defend his title. Despite young talents like Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner proving their ability to compete against Djokovic and defeat him, the 36-year-old Serbian remains confident that his career is far from over.
“We have a saying in our country, ‘You can harm our bodies, but you can never destroy our soul and spirit.’ I truly believe in that,” Djokovic said on the Today Show.
During the same interview, Djokovic emphasized the uniqueness of his success.
“At the end of the day, how many tennis players in history have accomplished what I have? I’m not saying this to boast, but to remind myself, ‘Hey, appreciate where you are and what you have achieved.’ At the same time, I see this as just one chapter of my life, with more chapters yet to come,” Djokovic added.
Following his loss in the Australian Open semifinals to Sinner, Djokovic made the decision to skip tournaments in February, with his next event scheduled for early March at the Indian Wells Masters.
According to the Source tennisworldusa.org