Nikola Pilic has declared that his former pupil Novak Djokovic is “simply still a different calibre” to his young rivals Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.
The renowned coach and former player described Djokovic as “the old master” of tennis and argued Sinner, Alcaraz and other young stars will “take over the new generation in one or two years.”
Djokovic, Alcaraz and Sinner are the three best players in the men’s game and the trio make up the top three of the ATP Rankings. Sinner is the world No 1, while Djokovic and Alcaraz occupy second and third place respectively.
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Sinner won his maiden Grand Slam title at the Australian Open in January, before Alcaraz claimed his third and fourth majors at the French Open and Wimbledon this summer.
After collecting three of the four Grand Slams in a dominant 2023 season, Djokovic won his first title of 2024 at the Paris Olympics this month as he downed Alcaraz in the final to secure a maiden gold medal.
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Sinner and Alcaraz are in action in Cincinnati ahead of the US Open, while Djokovic opted to skip the Masters 1000 event and will return for the year’s final major.
Following Djokovic’s triumph at the Olympic Games, Pilic claimed the 37-year-old legend still has the edge over Sinner and Alcaraz and highlighted a prestigious award he has won five times.
“Novak, the old master, is simply still a different calibre [to Alcaraz and Sinner]. I don’t want to be subjective here, but he has been named World Sportsman of the Year five times,” the Croatian told Tennis Magazin.
“That is not my subjective opinion, that was decided by independent committees. That speaks for itself and is something very special.
“Sinner, Alcaraz and others will certainly take over the new generation in one or two years. Novak will be 39 by then, and not everything will be the same as when he was 29. This development is very interesting for me.”
Pilic, who trained a young Djokovic at his tennis academy in Munich, also revealed he still shares a close relationship with the Serb.
“When the film ‘Niki Pilic: Legend’ came out, the premiere took place in Belgrade,” explained the 84-year-old.
“Novak actually had to fly to Nice to prepare for Monte Carlo. He then cancelled this flight and flew a day later to see this film in the cinema in Belgrade with his family and mine.
“That just shows me how much he respects me and my family. The film is very good, by the way. It has won 35 different awards.
“This action by Novak says a lot about him. He changed his entire planning because this film was also a matter close to his heart.”
Pilic played professionally between 1968 and 1978 and was a runner-up at the 1973 French Open.