Novak Djokovic has been fortunate to have opponents like Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal to push him during his career, his coach Goran Ivanisevic said on Sunday.
Djokovic defeated Daniil Medvedev 6-3, 7-6(5), 6-3 in straight sets to capture his fourth US Open title and scripted history on Sunday night, becoming the first person in the Open Era to win 24 grand slam titles, tying Margaret Court for the most in history.
The ‘Big Three’ dominated men’s tennis over the last two decades with a collective 66 grand slam titles between them but Djokovic is now clear of the retired Federer (20) and Nadal (22), who is expected to call time on his career next year.
“He’s a winner,” former Wimbledon champion Ivanisevic told reporters. “He’s the guy who is motivating himself.
“He had luck to have guys like Nadal and Federer, they came before him, so they pushed each other.
“When you tell him he can’t do something, it’s even worse. Then he’s going to show you that he can do it. No excuses. He always tries to find a way to win, to fight, even when he’s not feeling well, injured, not injured.”
Ivanisevic, who has been coaching Djokovic since 2019, said he considered the Serb’s US Open triumph — which put him level with Margaret Court with the most major singles titles — as “the biggest achievement in sporting history”.
The 51-year-old added that he was not surprised by Djokovic’s hunger.
“He’s just enjoying, he likes the challenges. Like you ask me 25 (majors), yeah, if he wins 25 he’s going to think, ‘If I win 25, why not 26?’ It’s always one more, something more,” Ivanisevic said.
“Generally, he just does drives him through and he wants more and more. That’s why he wants to everything perfect to be on the court, on the practice, and that’s why he has unbelievable results,” Ivanisevic added.
“He’s a genius. He’s one of kind. There are not too many people in this world like him sport-wise. This is one of the biggest achievements in sporting history. We’re not talking about tennis. We are talking generally in sport.
“He’s taking care of his body, he’s taking care of everything, every single detail has to be perfect, prepared. He’s never happy on the court.
“I don’t know if that’s good or bad, not good for us,” he said smiling.
The ability to fight back from disappointment was key for Djokovic following his agonising five-set Wimbledon final defeat to Carlos Alcaraz.
Ivanisevic cited the Serbian’s ability to quickly shed any emotional baggage from that loss as key to his successful American hard-court summer, during which he also claimed a record-extending 39th ATP Masters 1000 crown at the Western & Southern Open.
“We came to Cincinnati. [Wimbledon] was not even mentioned one time,” said Ivanisevic. “It’s past. When you lose, it’s past. You know you can’t get it back. That day Carlos was better player, and he won. Very simple.
“He won Cincinnati. He’s the guy who is just forgetting things and moving on.
“That’s why he’s so good. That’s why these four-and-a-half weeks in the States, he was happy that he could play here and it was really, really enjoyable and fun.”
In the four years Ivanisevic has been part of Team Djokovic, the Serbian has lifted eight grand slam crowns. That includes Djokovic winning three majors in each of 2021 and 2023, when he turned 34 and 36 years of age, respectively.
Asked whether Djokovic will call time on his career if he becomes 25th major next year, the 51-year-old jokingly said his pupil has plans to compete at the 2028 Olympics.
Written with inputs from Reuters
