"Novak Djokovic knows his toughest match right now is always the guy in the mirror" - Serena Williams' former coach Rick Macci

Serena Williams' former coach Rick Macci has heaped praise on Novak Djokovic following the Serb's title win at the 2023 ATP Finals.

Djokovic defeated Jannik Sinner 6-3, 6-3 to claim a record-extending seventh title at the year-end tournament on November 19. He had previously lost to the Italian in the group stage.

With this victory, the Serb broke Roger Federer's record of six ATP Finals titles. He also finished the season as the World No. 1, with seven titles in his kitty, including three Majors (the Australian Open, French Open, and US Open).

Rick Macci discussed Novak Djokovic on the latest episode of the Match Point Canada podcast, saying that the 24-time Grand Slam champion's mind control and competitive spirit were 'amazing.' He added that the number of titles and the amount of prize money the Serb achieves with each tournament he wins are enough to keep his motivation up.

"He doesn't mind if people are against him. He sort of clicks things in his mind and his mind control is amazing. He is all about the competition. Let me think about it, 24 Grand Slams, 95 [98*] singles titles, like you said 7 ATP Finals. We could go on and on. The numbers and the money is mind-boggling to keep the motivation up," Macci said. (10:30)

According to Macci, Djokovic's 'toughest match' at the moment is against his own self.

"What's the motivation? Simple: I love to compete and that should be the goal of any coach, to become the best competitor you can be. When you have that success to still wanna go out there and knock you out, it's not about anything other than what he expects from himself. He knows his toughest match right now is always the guy in the mirror. It's always himself," the veteran coach said.

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Novak Djokovic aims to win 2nd Davis Cup title for Serbia

The Serb pictured at the 2023 Davis Cup Finals

After his exploits in Turin, Italy, Novak Djokovic has arrived in Malaga, Spain, to represent Serbia in the knockout stage of the 2023 Davis Cup Finals.

Serbia won the team tournament for the first time in 2010, when they defeated France 3:2 in the final. They also came close to lifting another title in 2013 but were knocked out in the summit clash by the Czech Republic.

Djokovic will now be looking to win a second Davis Cup title for Serbia when his team takes on Great Britain in the quarterfinals on November 23. The Brits will be missing their star player Andy Murray, who has pulled out due to injury.