Renowned tennis coach Rick Macci recently made a bold statement on Twitter, publicly declaring Novak Djokovic as the GOAT. As expected, this declaration has sparked a lot of debate and discussion among tennis enthusiasts.
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As bold as it may be, Rick Macci’s opinion is shared by the majority of the tennis community today. Given Djokovic’s dominance on the Tour and his record-shattering stats, there is no denying the fact that Novak Djokovic is one of the most celebrated players in tennis history. With that in mind, it does not seem far-fetched to confer the GOAT status upon him.
His tweet read, “@Djokernole (Novak Djokovic) every way is the GOAT. The GOAT has a favorite food and it is GRASS. It is very high in fiber and the fiber inside the RUBBER BAND MAN has made him GOAT higher than any male player who ever held the stick. “
Rick Macci is a highly respected tennis coach who has worked with prominent players like Serena Williams and Venus Williams. Macci, in his tweet as in his recent interviews, unreservedly declared Djokovic the GOAT while emphasizing Djokovic’s superiority. According to Macci, Federer looked the best, Nadal played the best, but Djokovic is the best.
Djokovic has also spent an astonishing 388 weeks at the top spot, surpassing Federer’s previous record of 310 weeks. In fact, he now has the longest reign of any tennis singles player in the men’s and women’s categories, having eclipsed Steffi Graf’s record of 377 weeks.
In addition to his Grand Slam victories and weeks at No. 1, Djokovic’s overall singles titles further strengthen his case as the greatest tennis player of all time. He has 94 tour titles to his credit, with a majority of them being big titles (ATP Masters 1000, Slams, or the ATP finals)
Also read: Serena Williams’ ex-coach Rick Macci compares Djokovic, Federer and Sampras on their grass court movement as debate for best grass court player rages
Why Macci considers Djokovic to be the GOAT
One of the most significant factors contributing to Novak Djokovic’s claim as the GOAT is his impressive Grand Slam title record. As of his victory at the 2023 French Open, Djokovic had amassed a total of 23 Grand Slam titles.
This places him ahead of both Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, who have 20 and 22 Grand Slam titles, respectively. That’s not all; his sheer dominance across different surfaces and his ability to consistently perform at the highest level in the most prestigious tournaments set him apart from everyone else.
While Rick Macci and many others believe that Novak Djokovic is the GOAT, Djokovic himself is reluctant to claim this title. During an on-court interview after winning the 2023 French Open, Djokovic was asked whether he can be called the GOAT. In his characteristically humble manner, Djokovic responded by saying, “You can call me Novak! I like my name!”.
While the concept of what makes someone the GOAT is a subjective one, it simply cannot be denied now that Novak Djokovic is the most successful tennis player in men’s singles history.
