Novak Djokovic branded as the "perfect player" by John McEnroe's brother Patrick
Former American tennis player Patrick McEnroe has stated that Novak Djokovic is the "perfect" tennis player.
Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, collectively called the Big 3, have dominated men's tennis for over two decades. Between them, they have 64 Grand Slam titles, along with a plethora of other achievements.
While Federer retired from the sport last year, Nadal and Djokovic are still active. With 22 Majors each, they lead the race for most Slam titles ever among men.
1989 French Open doubles champion Patrick McEnroe, in a conversation on Courtside: The US Open Podcast, lavished praise on Novak Djokovic and stated that the Serb has no discernible weakness in his game.
“It's a combination of his size, his eyes, his range and his impeccable technique. If you're putting together, the perfect player, technically, it's [Novak] Djokovic. There's no weakness for Djokovic,” he said.
“He might have a bad day and might just miss because he's irritated or you might out-hit him like Wawrinka did a couple of times in big matches. You're gonna have to play well on any surface to beat him,” he added.
Patrick, who is the younger brother of former World No. 1 John McEnroe, also highlighted Djokovic's returning abilities. He explained that the Serb's return was both defensively and offensively sound.
“[Andre] Agassi was the best attacking return. [Lleyton] Hewitt was a better defensive returner than that Agassi, but he wasn't nearly as good offensively. Roger [Federer] was rangey too, it’s very hard to ace Roger. Rafa [Nadal] is not a great returner, he's worked on it. He’s not a great server. And that’s where Novak is at that level defensively but he also can play great offense,” he said.
“At full stretch, Roger or Hewitt would get the ball back,” he added. “But in full stretch Novak can still actually play a more offensive return or even a neutral return. Those amazing returns against Roger in the US Open finals or, you know, Wimbledon, He's able to lock down those breakers against Roger in that epic match and just not miss.”
Novak Djokovic's 2023 season: A recap
Novak Djokovic began his year at the Adelaide International 1. He beat the likes of Constant Lestienne, Quentin Halys, Denis Shapovalov, Daniil Medvedev and Sebastian Korda to win the ATP 250 title.
Djokovic carried that momentum into the Australian Open, winning a record 10th title in dominant fashion. He beat Roberto Carballes Baena, Enzo Couacaud, Grigor Dimitrov, Alex de Minaur, Andrey Rublev, Tommy Paul and Stefanos Tsitsipas to equal Rafael Nadal's record of 22 Majors.
The 35-year-old has participated in only three tournaments since — Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, Monte-Carlo Masters, and Srpska Open. His best result in the three competitions was a semifinal finish in the Middle East.
Djokovic has missed a few tournaments this season, notably in Indian Wells and Miami, over his continued refusal to take the COVID-19 vaccine.
The Serb is currently injured and has pulled out of the upcoming Madrid Open. While the exact nature of the injury has not been revealed, he is expected to return for the Italian Open in Rome.
Overall, Djokovic has a 17-3 win-loss record in 2023 and has won a total of $2,426,180 in prize money.