What needs to happen for Novak Djokovic to win a 25th Grand Slam? Legendary coach reveals
Legendary coach Rick Macci believes Novak Djokovic can win the 2025 US Open, but only if the tennis icon gets some help from the draw.
Djokovic has been searching for a record-extending 25th Grand Slam crown since winning the US Open in 2023.
The legendary Serbian’s most recent appearance in a major championship match was at Wimbledon last year, when he lost in straight sets to Carlos Alcaraz.
The 38-year-old fell to world No 1 Jannik Sinner in the semi-finals at both Wimbledon and the French Open this year, while he was forced to retire after the first set of his Australian Open last four clash with Alexander Zverev.
Djokovic has secured four titles from the record 10 finals he has reached at the US Open. He suffered a shock third round defeat to Alexei Popyrin at Flushing Meadows last year.
As Djokovic is set to be seeded seventh at the 2025 US Open, he could face either Sinner or Carlos Alcaraz as early as the quarter-finals in New York.
In an exclusive interview, Tennis365 asked Macci if he thinks Djokovic is capable of going through both Alcaraz and Sinner to win a Grand Slam.
“Well, first off, you never count out the Serbian sniper, the rubber band man. In my opinion, the greatest player ever to hold a stick. You never count him out,” said the former coach of Serena and Venus Williams.
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“But I think the only way he could win a Slam… it’s not gonna happen on clay, it’s just too physical, three out of five, I just think it’s too much on the body.
“And if the draw would break correctly, I know that happens with anybody, but let’s face it, if the draw broke correctly, if Alcaraz or Sinner got hurt, or you got a couple of walkovers… if things broke for him, absolutely.
“He can win the US Open, because he still checks enough boxes — and he has to make sure that he’s not playing four or five hours the other matches because you got a day or whatever to get back and do it again. It’s the physical and mental toll that’s gonna be tough on his body.
“But if the draw breaks the right way, or if Alcaraz or Sinner – something happens to them along the way – it changes the whole roadmap, the way you’re looking at this thing.
“But absolutely. He definitely could win the US Open, but those things have to happen. But if he has a lot of tough matches and then he has to go through both those guys, I think that’s kind of rough sledding.”
The only tournament Djokovic has won in 2025 was the ATP 250 in Geneva in May, which was his 100th singles title. Djokovic’s gold medal triumph at the 2024 Paris Olympics was his only other title since the 2023 ATP Finals.
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