'The Serbian sniper, the man with the elastic' - Rick Macci divulges how Novak Djokovic will attain his 25th Grand Slam at Flushing Meadows

Novak Djokovic goes into the US Open as one of the favourites behind Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, who, between them, have won the last seven Grand Slams. The Serbian, who last tasted success in 2023, is piped for a good run by Rick Macci, former coach of Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova.

The 38-year-old in the past dominated the tennis world, with him being an ever-lasting member of the big four, made up of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Andy Murray. When the other three retired/dropped off in form, he stuck around with incredible fitness and consistency. Through this, he has won 24 Grand Slams, a record that will be near-impossible to beat, at least any time soon.

And he is hungry for more, with the US Open at Flushing Meadows coming up shortly. Djokovic has tasted success at Flushing Meadows four times, in 2011, 2015, 2018, and most recently in 2023, being the last person not named Alcaraz or Sinner to win one. Since that win, he has only managed one final back at Wimbledon in 2024, where the Spaniard played a phenomenal match to overthrow the great Serbian.

Aside from that final, he has made four semi-finals, including all the Grand Slams held in 2025. He lost out to Zverev in Australia, retiring after losing the first tiebreak through injury. He followed that up with defeats at Roland Garros and Wimbledon to Sinner, who on both occasions won in three sets. Djokovic will be hoping to turn the tide in the next few weeks, making up for the disappointing third round exit last year, where he was beaten by Aussie Alexi Popyrin. It was his worst Grand Slam showing since the Australian Open in 2017.

Djokovic capable of winning another major

It will be an uphill battle for him to win a 25th Grand Slam, but Macci still has faith that he can roll back the years and triumph in another Grand Slam. He went on to describe him as 'the greatest player to ever hold a racquet', but admitted he would need a nice draw, along with Sinner and Alcaraz, to stumble along the way, then he would have a solid chance of lifting the trophy for a fifth time. He also stated that he would need to avoid the big two.

In an interview with Tennis365, Maric said: "First of all, you should never underestimate the Serbian sniper, the man with the elastic. In my opinion, the greatest player to ever hold a racquet. You should never underestimate his talent.

"But I think the only way for him to win a Grand Slam… it won’t happen on clay, it’s just too physical, best-of-five sets, I just think it’s too much for the body. And if the draw works out favourably—I know it happens to everyone—but let’s be realistic, if Alcaraz or Sinner get injured, or if you get a few walkovers… absolutely. But if he has to face Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, that changes everything, and it’ll be a pretty tough experience."

As the number seven seed, Djokovic is likely to face world number two Carlos Alcaraz if he makes it all the way to the semi-finals. Last time he was the seventh seed, he defeated the Spaniard in the quarter-finals in four sets at the Australian Open, and will be hoping of more of the same.

However, his match-fitness may be a concern before the tournament, with his last match coming back in the Wimbledon semi-final defeat against Sinner, and before that the Roland Garros semi-final defeat to the Italian. He will get the chance to play on the main courts before the tournaments, but alongside fellow Serbian Olga Danilovic in the revamped US Open mixed doubles event.