"Roger Federer was poetry in motion, Pete Sampras was on egg shells, Novak Djokovic can fire groundstrokes off both butterfly wings" - Rick Macci

Serena Williams and Venus Williams' former coach Rick Macci has given his verdict on how Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, and Pete Sampras play on grass courts.

Federer and Sampras have retired from tennis after their remarkable achievements on grass. Djokovic, on the other hand, has won the last four editions of Wimbledon and is attempting to win the trophy for the eighth time this year.

He will equal Roger Federer's men's record and move one behind nine-time champion Martina Navratilova if he is successful.

The Serb has begun his campaign at the grass-court Major on a great note. He faced Argentina's Pedro Cachin in the first round and easily defeated him with a score of 6-3, 6-3, 7-6(4).

He faced Jordan Thompson in the second round and easily defeated the Australian in three sets, 6-3, 7-6(4), 7-5. This set up a third-round matchup with old rival Stan Wawrinka, which he ultimately won, 6-3, 6-1, 7-6(7-5).

Following that, Rick Macci took to Twitter to say that Roger Federer was so graceful on grass, it was like poetry in motion. Commenting on Pete Sampras, he said the American was so light that it seemed like he was walking on eggshells.

Meanwhile, according to the veteran coach, Novak Djokovic is very nimble and balanced. He explained Djokovic's strength in a very vivid manner.

"Movement on grass is so different. Roger was so graceful he was poetry in motion. Sampras was so light he was on egg shells.@DjokerNole is so nimble and balanced he can fire groundstrokes off both butterfly wings with a glass of goat milk on his head and not spill a drop," Macci wrote.

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Novak Djokovic will face Hubert Hurkacz in the fourth round

Novak Djokovic in action at Wimbledon 2023.

Novak Djokovic will face Hubert Hurkacz in the fourth round. The latter defeated 14th seed Lorenzo Musetti earlier in the day. The Pole had not won more than two consecutive matches since February in Marseille.

In a post-match press conference, Djokovic stated that Hurkacz can pose a significant threat, citing his victory over Roger Federer in the 2021 edition of the tournament.

"Just overall very complete player. I don't see too many holes in his game, really. So I know that's going to definitely be the toughest challenge for me of the tournament so far," he said.

"He didn't drop a set so far in the tournament. I saw how he was playing. He's very comfortable playing on grass. He beat Federer here some years ago. He's a player that doesn't mind playing on a big stadium," he added.

The Serb continued:

"As you mentioned, super nice guy, someone that I really, really like off the court. It's going to be a great battle. I look forward to that. I know I have to be at my best to win."