The former coach of Serena Williams, Rick Macci, was full of praise for Novak Djokovic‘s stellar 2023 season in which he set numerous records.
Djokovic was in near-invincible form last year, winning the most singles titles of any player on the ATP Tour with seven. Of those, three were won at the Grand Slam level, and he was slightly unfortunate not to complete the Calendar Grand Slam by losing his lone major final at Wimbledon to Carlos Alcaraz.
The Serb dominated the field despite featuring in only 12 ATP tournaments. Djokovic scored the most Top 10 wins with 17 and became the first man to pick up 40 Masters 1000 crowns after triumphing in Cincinnati and Paris-Bercy in the second half of last season.
While Djokovic’s year was stellar, Macci believes the 36-year-old did not receive enough acclaim for his efforts. For instance, Djokovic was snubbed from the ATP’s end-of-season awards and denied millions in bonus payments for failing to meet the eligibility criteria.
The celebrated American coach asserts that it is “unheard of” that a player well in his late 30s is capable of winning three of the four Grand Slams. Moreover, the 69-year-old stated that Djokovic’s success will serve as a motivating factor for the rest of the tour.
“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.”
While Djokovic did not collect any trophies during the ATP Awards Week and was clearly dismayed, he did receive multiple honors from sporting bodies and organizations outside of tennis, such as L’Equipe’s Champions of Champion and the European Sportsperson of the Year awards.
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