The rise of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner has been great for tennis. However, Nikola Pilic says his former player, Novak Djokovic, remains on a different level to those younger players.
Djokovic is taking some time off after winning his first gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics. He defeated Alcaraz 7-6, 7-6, in two epic sets that did not contain any breaks. It was undoubtedly one of the best serving performances of Djokovic's career.
That achievement means the 37-year-old has won every major tennis title. Neither of his great rivals, Rafael Nadal or Roger Federer, has achieved that feat, making some believe he is now the undisputed greatest ever.
It will be interesting to see how much longer Djokovic wants to keep playing. Winning an Olympic gold had been the final piece missing from his incredible career for many years, but that source of motivation is now gone.
Patrick Mouratoglou thinks Djokovic could play for another three or four years. However, the Frenchman also admitted that it depends on the Serbian's motivation to keep challenging for Grand Slams.
Pilic coached Djokovic as a young player. The 1973 French Open runner-up runs his own academy in Germany. Djokovic developed through the Pilic Academy.
In an interview with Tennis Magazin, the Croatian compared Djokovic to Sinner and Alcaraz. He says Djokovic is on a different level from his younger rivals but also feels Alcaraz and Sinner will take over from him soon.
"Novak, the old master, is simply still a different calibre [to Alcaraz and Sinner]. I don’t want to be subjective here, but he has been named World Sportsman of the Year five times. That is not my subjective opinion, that was decided by independent committees."
"That speaks for itself and is something very special. Sinner, Alcaraz and others will certainly take over the new generation in one or two years. Novak will be 39 by then, and not everything will be the same as when he was 29. This development is very interesting for me."
Pilic's respect for Djokovic's achievements is evident. Alcaraz and Sinner are incredible players, but the 84-year-old refuses to put them above the 24-time Grand Slam after all he has achieved.
Pilic also revealed that he and Djokovic are still close. For example, the former world No. 1 changed his preparation plans for the event in Monte-Carlo to see the premiere of a film about Pilic's life.
"Novak actually had to fly to Nice to prepare for Monte Carlo. He then cancelled this flight and flew a day later to see this film in the cinema in Belgrade with his family and mine. That just shows me how much he respects me and my family."
"The film is very good, by the way. It has won 35 different awards. This action by Novak says a lot about him. He changed his entire planning because this film was also a matter close to his heart."
Djokovic continues to be loved by many fans worldwide after his tennis achievements. That explains why his exhibition match with Grigor Dimitrov sold out in less than 10 minutes.
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