Tennis coaching great Rick Macci has asserted that Novak Djokovic “has not gotten enough credit” for what he accomplished during his incredible 2023 season.
The American, a former coach of tennis legend Serena Williams, described Djokovic’s achievement of winning three grand slam titles in a year at his age as “unheard of.”
Djokovic won the Australian Open, the French Open, the US Open and the ATP Finals in 2023 – four of the five biggest tournaments in the men’s game – and was also a runner-up at Wimbledon.
The 36-year-old won all of these huge finals in straight sets with victories over Stefanos Tsitsipas, Casper Ruud, Daniil Medvedev and Jannik Sinner in the respective title matches.
The Serbian’s grand slam triumphs took his major tally to a record 24, while he also secured a record-extending eighth year-end ATP world No 1 finish.
In a post on Twitter / X, Macci argued Djokovic should have received more recognition for the remarkable season he had last year and claimed his dominance will be inspiring the chasing pack.
READ MORE: How Novak Djokovic’s incredible 2023 season compares to his 2011 and 2015 achievements
“Believe it or not @DjokerNole has not gotten Enough Credit for what he has done this past year. To win 3 of the 4 Slams at his age is Unheard of IN ANY SPORT,” the American wrote.
Believe it or not @DjokerNole has not gotten Enough Credit for what he has done this past year. To win 3 of the 4 Slams at his age is Unheard of IN ANY SPORT. The Snipers Rock Solid performance to Dominate will Educate Stimulate and Motivate every player in the REAR VIEW MIRROR.
— Rick Macci (@RickMacci) January 1, 2024
“The Snipers Rock Solid performance to Dominate will Educate Stimulate and Motivate every player in the REAR VIEW MIRROR.”
In another recent tweet about Djokovic, Macci wrote: “It is one thing to Get there it is another thing to Stay there. The real difference between Good and Great. @DjokerNole.”
Following Djokovic’s 2023 campaign, Macci explained why he considers Djokovic to be the best player to ever hold a racket and lauded the hunger the great Serbian possesses.
“In my opinion, I judge everything with the eyeball test, and then the numbers. The numbers don’t lie, and my eyes don’t lie because I’ve done this for a long time,” the 69-year-old told Tennis Infinity.
“Nothing against [Roger] Federer and [Rafael] Nadal, I mean they’re great champions and they’re right in there, but he’s separated himself. So am I ready to proclaim Djokovic the GOAT? Absolutely.
“He separated himself from everybody. And he’s not done yet. And I think that’s what impresses everybody, it’s the hunger and he still wants to go out there and win titles.
“He’s not going undefeated, but you got to beat him in 3 out of 5 sets, I think [it] is a slippery slope for anybody. Just because you’re getting older, that’s a number. It’s how you feel and how you take care of your body.”
Macci has worked with five players who achieved the world No 1 ranking in their careers: Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Maria Sharapova, Jennifer Capriati and Andy Roddick. He also coached WTA Major champions Mary Pierce, Anastasia Myskina and Sofia Kenin.
Djokovic is currently in action at the United Cup team competition in Perth, where his Serbia side will take on hosts Australia in the quarter-finals on Wednesday.
READ MORE: Alarming injury worry for Novak Djokovic as he prepares to defend Australian Open crown
