Former mentor of Novak Djokovic believes the Serbian still has the edge over younger rivals Alcaraz and Sinner

Former World No.1 Novak Djokovic seems to show little sign of slowing down, and the 37-year old has touted to still have the upper hand over younger foes Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, according to renown coach Nikola Pilic.

The former Croatian player, who trained a young Djokovic at his tennis academy in Munich, stated the 24-Grand Slam champion still stands above his two rivals despite the huge difference in age. Djokovic finally won the Olympic gold medal at the Paris Olympic Games, defeating Alcaraz in a thrilling final.

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Pilic believes the next generation will eventually catch up to the Serbian

In an interview with Tennis Magazin, Pilic claimed Djokovic still has the edge over his colleagues, highlighting a prestigious award won numerous times by the Serbian.

"Novak, the old master, is simply still a different calibre [to Alcaraz and Sinner]," said Pilic. "I don’t want to be subjective here, but he has been named World Sportsman of the Year five times. 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."

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Additionally, Pilic said he still holds a close relationship with the former World No.1. The retired player elaborated on their bond when he recalled an incident where Djokovic changed plans on the fly just to attend an event with Pilic and his family.

"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."