Few names in tennis resonate with the same magnitude as Novak Djokovic’s. Rick Macci, the former coach of Serena Williams who once sculpted her early days in tennis, praised the G.O.A.T., Novak Djoković, for his enduring legacy in tennis. Calling him the “Serbian Sniper “, Macci reminded all of us how his prowess on-court is not to be forgotten ever.

“Because we see it in REAL TIME the Serbian Sniper will always be remembered as TIMELESS as he delivered TIME and TIME again with impeccable TIMING and knew how to take TIME away and buy TIME and his Goat Status will stand the test of Time. @DjokerNole,” wrote Rick Macci on X. Rightly so, Novak Djokovic has indeed shown his patience and endurance even throughout the current season as well.

Despite having a turbulent start to 2024, reaching only two semifinal matches so far, Novak Djokovic has never failed to show his determination to be his best. Last year’s ATP world tour winner, Djokovic has so far participated in only four tournaments. And even though he remained titleless, his top spot at No. 1 is still intact.

This is because of his consistently incredible achievements in tennis during his two-decade-long career. With 24 Grand Slams to his name, Novak Djokovic has indeed stood the test of time, as he remains at the top for about a total of 424 weeks! He even broke Roger Federer’s record of being at the top just a month ago.

But, as Macci said, even after these huge achievements, he knew when to take his time away from tennis. This happened after last year’s disappointing Wimbledon defeat against Carlos Alcaraz. Before embarking on his U.S. Open tournament, he said, “I needed time away from the tennis world”. 

And it proved to be quite fruitful for him as he emerged stronger and won the U.S. Open of 2023. But, the 36-year-old player is not done conquering his goals. He is vying for an Olympic gold medal this year in Paris.

Even after having an illustrious career, the joy of earning an Olympic gold medal has eluded him. Although he did win a bronze medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Djokovic has not earned any medals since then. Although he was present at the last Olympics in Tokyo in 2021, he faced a semifinal defeat against Alexander Zverev. 

But as he makes his fifth appearance in the Olympics this year, the Serbinator’s goal is clear. “Winning the Olympic gold for my country would be something really, really unique and special,” Novak Djokovic said in an interview. No matter what the outcome is, as Macci mentioned, he will indeed be remembered as “timeless”.