The 2023 tennis season introduced fans to the strong potential of several young talents like Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz. Besides acting as a building block for these young stars, the season came out to be another shining one for the World No.1 tennis legend Novak Djokovic. In an ES exclusive interview, Serena Williams’ former coach dove deep into the Serb’s journey.

As Novak Djokovic still has no plans of ending his professional career, every eye in the tennis world appreciates his resilience. Along with the fans, Serena Williams’ childhood coach Rick Macci recently decoded the theory behind players like Pete Sampras planning their retirement unlike that of Djokovic.

Rick Macci cracks the reason behind Pete Sampras’ retirement

The tennis world’s scenario has always been complex for fans as players, instead of walking in a straight line of legends, build their way up to the top. Seasoned coach Rick Macci has always acted as a guiding light by offering insights into the sport’s twists and turns. In an exclusive interview with ES, Macci narrated the mindset of players behind planning for their retirement.

The legendary coach pointed out that some, like Andy Roddick, step away when they feel they can’t remain competitive. “Everybody has their timetable,” he stated. Along with that, the coach also highlighted the unseen hard work and challenged players face off the court which the fans rarely get to witness.

Coming to the reason behind Pete Sampras’ retirement in 2002, Macci said, “So to answer your question about Pete. Don’t even think about all that record wouldn’t be touched. They don’t think like that whatsoever. I mean you can see you lose half a step or you’re not, as you just don’t wanna put in the work so that’s everybody’s choice.”

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The coach also highlighted the individual choices players make, concluding to the point that when the desire fades or the motivation diminishes, some choose to exit the game earlier than expected.

Macci’s comparison of the retirement mindset to that of Novak Djokovic

Along with explaining the reasons behind the retirements of players like Pete Sampras due to lack of motivation, Serena Williams’ childhood coach also appreciated Novak Djokovic’s unique longevity. Macci presented a strong statement in support of the Serbinator in the exclusive interview with EssentiallySports.

“But then you got this Djokovic guy, the Serbian sniper who is out there you know at this age still you know taken scalp from everybody it’s on believable but he still number one 3 out of four grand slams,” he said, marking a line that explains the difference of motivational levels between other players and the Serbian tennis star.

Truly, Djokovic is just built of different stuff than the rest!

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