Novak Djokovic's incredible flexibility, movement & mental strength could lead to him going down as the GOAT, declares former Serena Williams' coach

Novak Djokovic's on-court movement recently earned plaudits from American tennis coach Rick Macci.

The Serbian will be gearing up for his third French Open title as he takes on Alexander Kovacevic in the first round of the French Open tomorrow in Paris. Despite a rough start to his clay court season, the third seed will be eager to take on his chances to win a record breaking 23 Grand Slam singles titles, the most in men's tennis.

Macci, who has previously coached the Williams sisters, Maria Sharapova, and Andy Roddick, among others, recently praised Djokovic on his Youtube channel Rick Macci Tennis. The 68-year-old reflected on the World No. 3's flexibility and stated how his movement is a lethal weapon.

"When you look at him, forget the high-level mechanics of the forehand and backhand – one of the best of all time. Forget anything technical. This isn't about technical, once again, just like Nadal and Federer. The wild card is the movement. His makeup speed is great. His ability to hit quality shots off of quality is amazing."

Macci praised the 22-time Grand Slam winner's flexibility and called him a "rubber band."

"His ability to stretch, okay? He's like Gumby on steroids. The guy's a rubber band, man. It's another little piece of the puzzle that makes Djoker amazing," Macci said.

The American tennis coach also pointed out the 36-year-old's mental strength and how it can pave his way to becoming the greatest ever in the game.

"But the most important thing: never satisfied, always pushing himself. If you're not getting better, you're getting worse. Mentally, one of the toughest the sport has seen, and it'll probably go down as the greatest ever. So, let's not get caught up in the outside. It's what's inside these guys that makes them special, and Novak Djokovic could go down as the greatest of all time, Rick Macci added.

Novak Djokovic will fancy his chances of reclaiming the top spot at the French Open 2023

Novak Djokovic will be looking to reclaim the topspot of the ATP singles rankings once again this year at the upcoming French Open. The Serbian legend lost the No. 1 spot to Carlos Alcaraz and eventually dropped down to No. 3 after a rough start to his clay court season.

However, the 2023 French Open will be a battleground for many stars as the top spot is up for grabs. Others joining Djokovic for the battle are Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev, and Stefanos Tsitsipas. The World No. 5 Stefanos Tsitsipas will be the new No. 1 if he reaches the final of the Paris Major and the other three fail to do so.

On the other hand, the top-3 ranked players in the world will get to be No. 1 as soon as one of them lays hands on the trophy on June 12. Djokovic could face Alcaraz in the semifinal and Medvedev in the final. If the Serbian reaches the final and the Russian fails to do so, Djokovic will be the new No. 1 irrespective of the final result.