Home

Tennis

Stirred by the Sturdy Personality of Novak Djokovic, Serena Williams’ Childhood Coach Makes a Hard-Hitting Confession About the Serbian Legend

Published 06/10/2023, 2:27 PM EDT

Follow Us

via Getty

There are only a handful of certainties in life, such as death and taxes. If we stretch the Benjamin Franklin quote to tennis, Novak Djokovic winning grand slam matches could be clubbed right here. The 22-time major champion has entered yet another slam final after beating Carlos Alcaraz in four sets. History awaits Djokovic tomorrow and after a rather slow start to the clay swing, he is one match away from winning his third Roland Garros title. But, what is the secret behind the Serb’s incredible longevity? Serena Williams’ former coach, Rich Macci, might have the answer to this question!

It is quite natural that as players age, their skills and athleticism would decline. It may be the case with Djokovic as well, but it certainly does not feel like it. Well, the former coach of Serena Williams believes that Djokovic’s one particular aspect is the reason behind his never-declining level.

Ex-coach of Venus and Serena Williams hails Djokovic’s mental strength

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Rick Macci, the childhood coach of the Williams sisters was in awe of Novak Djokovic. Through his tweet, the American Hall of Fame coach expressed how much respect he had for the world number 3.

Macci said, “@DjokerNole is the mentally strongest male player ever to hold a stick. With all the vaccine mandates and his denial from competing shows the world how to take a negative and flip it into a positive.

Trending

Get instantly notified of the hottest Tennis stories via Google! Click on Follow Us and Tap the Blue Star.

Follow Us

Djokovic now has the chance to become the first male player to win 23 major titles and complete a triple career slam – winning every single major at least three times. He is set to take on Casper Ruud in the final of Ronald Garros. Djokovic could lead the slam race for the first time after chasing Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal throughout his career.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

The unseen side of Novak Djokovic

Djokovic has always been surrounded by controversy, even more so since his refusal to take the vaccine. The fans of his rivals always consider him an easy target and look down upon him for not having the same amount of grace as Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. Amidst all the chaos, people forget about his generous side.

Novak Djokovic Takes Full Financial Responsibility of Young Serbian Tennis Player Who Turned Professional

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

During the Covid pandemic, when the small tournaments were struggling with sponsorships, Novak Djokovic funded a challenger and two ATP events at his own expense. He has also been funding the 19-year-old Serb, Hamad Medjedovic, who recently made it to the main draw of Roland Garros. The positive side of Novak Djokovic truly goes under the radar.

WATCH THIS STORY | ‘He’s a perfectionist’- Days after Novak Djokovic’s friendship bomb on Roger Federer, ex-coach’s blunt revelation shows mysterious similarities between the two tennis legends.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE :

Written by:

Raghav Tikmany

356Articles

One take at a time

Raghav Tikmany is a tennis writer at EssentiallySports. After completing his under-graduation in Commerce, his passion for sports encouraged him to take up content writing in the field of sports journalism. He has prior experience in text commentary.
Show More>

Edited by:

Tony Thomas