Novak Djokovic "not going anywhere" amid Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner threat, says Serena Williams' ex-coach

Serena Williams' ex-coach Rick Macci believes that Novak Djokovic will continue adding more Grand Slam titles to his impressive tally, despite facing threats from Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.

It's undeniable that Djokovic has been a dominant force on the ATP Tour for quite some time. Even as he nears the twilight of his career, 2023 stood out as one of his best seasons. He won three Majors along with the ATP Finals and ended the year as the World No. 1. The only big trophy he couldn't lift was Wimbledon, which he lost to Alcaraz.

Djokovic's 2024 season faced a setback when Sinner defeated him in the semifinals of the Australian Open, ending his remarkable 33-match winning streak in Melbourne. Subsequently, the Serb struggled to make significant impacts in Indian Wells (third-round exit) and the Monte-Carlo Masters (semifinal exit).

While Novak Djokovic's recent underwhelming performances have raised concerns among tennis fans worldwide, Rick Macci, who coached Serena and Venus Williams during their childhood, holds a different perspective.

In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda, Macci expressed his belief that the World No. 1's domination is not over yet.

"No, we are not seeing an end to his [Novak Djokovic] domination," Macci said. "He might not be as dominant because last year he won three out of the four Grand Slams and he lost in five sets to [Carlos] Alcaraz at Wimbledon after winning the first set 6-1."

According to the veteran coach, while the 24-time Grand Slam champion won't possibly be as dominant as he was last year, he will still win more Majors even amid the threats from Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.

"Is he gonna do what he did in 2023? I don't think so. Is he gonna be as dominant? No. Can he still be one of the best players in the world? Yes. Will he still win Grand Slams? Absolutely. People don't realize what he is doing at age 36 is unprecedented. He is still dominating to some degree. At that age, we have never seen anything like this. That's why he is the GOAT," Rick Macci said.

He continued:

"But, listen, at the end of the day, father time is undefeated. You got the new sheriff in town: Alcaraz, [Jannik] Sinner. These guys know they can beat him, but Djoker is not going anywhere and I can still see him winning a few more Grand Slams before he says it's all over with."

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Novak Djokovic leads Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner in head-to-head record

Novak Djokovic pictured at the 2024 Monte-Carlo Masters

Novak Djokovic holds a head-to-head advantage over both Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.

Djokovic leads Alcaraz 3-2 in their head-to-head encounters. Although the Spaniard claimed victory in their first-ever meeting at the semifinals of the 2022 Madrid Masters with a score of 6-7(5), 7-5, 7-6(5), the Serb came out on top in their last two meetings at the Cincinnati Masters and ATP Finals in 2023.

Meanwhile, Djokovic holds a 4-3 advantage over Sinner. The Italian most recently defeated his colleague in the semifinals of the 2023 Davis Cup finals and again in the last four of this year's Australian Open on his way to lifting his maiden Major trophy.