John McEnroe calls Novak Djokovic the best hardcourt player ever, says the biggest obstacle in Calendar Slam bid could be his fitness

Seven-time Major winner John McEnroe recently gave his thoughts on Novak Djokovic's bid for the elusive Calendar Golden Slam. Djokovic, who has triumphed at the first two Majors of the season, will hope to make it three in three when he takes the court at Wimbledon starting this Monday.

The Serb is the favorite at not just Wimbledon, but also the Tokyo Olympics and the US Open to be held later this year. If he were to lift these three trophies, he would become the first male player in history to have won all four Majors and the Olympics gold medal in the same calendar year.

Having said that, bagging every big tournament in the season is easier said than done - even for someone of Novak Djokovic's caliber. And while speaking to the media on Saturday, John McEnroe claimed that the only stumbling block in the Serb's Calendar Slam bid could be his fitness.

"His biggest obstacle to me is if his body holds up through this," McEnroe said. "It looks amazing. He looked phenomenal. He's halfway home. He won the tougher one."

John McEnroe then lauded Novak Djokovic for his hardcourt prowess, calling him the "best player that ever lived" on the surface. McEnroe believes Djokovic can go all the way at the US Open, assuming he maintains his physical conditioning until then.

"He's the best player that ever lived, I would say, on hard courts," McEnroe said. "If he's able to maintain his health through this, I mean, I think he's got a great shot at winning the Slam."

I guess Novak Djokovic is going to go to Tokyo, which would be phenomenal for Serbia: John McEnroe

Novak Djokovic after losing early at 2016 Rio Olympics

John McEnroe went on to surmise that Novak Djokovic will most likely be traveling to Japan for the Olympics. The singles gold medal at the Olympics is the only important event that Djokovic has never won.

The Serb confirmed his participation at the upcoming international event earlier this week. Djokovic won the bronze medal at the 2008 Games in Beijing but has failed to win any laurel since then, losing to Juan Martin del Potro in each of the last two editions.

"I guess that (confirmation of his participation) means he's going to go to Tokyo, which would be phenomenal for Serbia," McEnroe said. "I was wondering whether he'd do that. At this point the fact that he's saying it shows you how much he believes he can do it."

McEnroe went on to lavish even more praise on Djokovic by using a baseball analogy. The American believes Djokovic is brimming with confidence at the moment, and that he will do everything in his power to pull off the unprecedented feat.

"Normally you wouldn't bring that up," McEnroe said. "It's like saying, I'm about to pitch a no-hitter after six innings. That's pretty gutsy in itself, shows you how confident he is."