Novak Djokovic backed to 'win it all' in Paris double this year with a caveat admits Rick Macci

Former Serena Williams’ coach, Rick Macci, expressed his confidence that Novak Djokovic can conquer everything on the clay courts of France this year. The world No. 1 will kick off the clay swing at the Monte-Carlo Masters and a month later will compete in the French Open, where he already boasts three titles.

The Serbian has an 85% winning rate at the French Open, his lowest percentage of victories in Grand Slam tournaments, compared to the Australian Open (91%), Wimbledon (87%), and US Open (87%).

Another significant objective for Djokovic will be on the courts of Roland Garros at the end of July when the Olympic Games take place in Paris. Nole has previously expressed his desire to clinch the Olympic gold medal, the only major title remaining for him to achieve. The 24-time Grand Slam champion has competed in the last four editions of the Olympic Games and only managed to secure the bronze medal in Rio.

According to Rick Macci's writing on X, the Serbian is his favorite to dominate on the French clay: "Depending on his health, the JOKER [Novak Djokovic] is my pick today to win it all on the French Red Clay," Macci wrote on X.

Recently, Djokovic commented that playing on clay presents the greatest challenge for him in terms of surfaces: "Clay is the most demanding surface. It takes me longer to reach my peak," Djokovic said in an interview.

His first tournament is the Monte-Carlo Masters, where he has claimed the title on two occasions. The first was in 2012 when he ended Rafael Nadal's reign after eight consecutive editions, and later in 2014, he secured his second title.

However, his last three participations have ended early: he was eliminated in the third round in 2021 and 2023, in addition to a defeat in the opening match in 2022: "Earlier in my career, I had better results here. The last five-six editions here have not been very successful. But that can change! I'm enthusiastic and excited to be here. I didn't play in Miami, I had more time to train on clay," he added.