‘Novak Djokovic is amazing’ – Academy coach offers unique insight on Serbian

Former ATP ace Younes El Aynaoui has heaped praise of Novak Djokovic for the work he does at his academy.

The Morroccan is a coach at the Novak Djokovic Tennis Centre in Belgrade, meaning he has enjoyed unique insight into how Djokovic works away from the tennis court.

“Novak is amazing,” El Aynaoui told German Tennismagazin.

“He decides everything for the academy. He plays a Grand Slam tournament, is world number one, helps other players and also takes care of the management of the academy.

“I couldn’t have done that. Even shortly before a match, he checks to see if everything is going well at the academy.”

El Aynaoui also commented on his experience of playing against Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, and said he hopes the fine examples the Big Three have set inspire young people more than the controversial attention-seeking antics of others.

“I played against Federer and Nadal when they were both relatively young on the tour,” El Aynaoui recalled.

“I won against both of them once. I even beat Nadal at the US Open. I see all three of them as the best, even if I never played against Novak.

“When talking about self-control, Nadal is outstanding. He never shows his frustration, only his motivation.

“When it comes to the beauty of tennis with fluid movements, Federer is the ultimate.”

“It’s a pleasure to have the top three players in history in one era.

“Young tennis players should take this as an example. Unfortunately, some young people prefer to watch the highlights of Benoit Paire and Nick Kyrgios.

“I recommend checking out Djokovic’s highlights.”