Roger Federer’s ex-coach argues Novak Djokovic’s longevity will not be replicated

Roger Federer’s former coach Ivan Ljubicic has made a telling comment about Novak Djokovic’s remarkable longevity.

Djokovic, who turned 38 in May, is ranked seventh in the world and remains a force at the top of the sport.

The Serbian was a semi-finalist at the three Grand Slams played so far this season and he will arguably be the third favourite at the US Open after Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz. Djokovic beat Alcaraz at the Australian Open in January and Alexander Zverev at the French Open in June.

While Djokovic has not found the same consistency outside the majors in 2025, he won his 100th ATP singles title in Geneva in May and was a runner-up at the Miami Masters in March.

In 2024, Djokovic claimed his maiden gold medal at the Paris Olympics and was a runner-up at Wimbledon — both after turning 37. He won his 24th and most recent Grand Slam title at the 2023 US Open, when he was 36.

On Twitter, tennis writer Christopher Clarey pointed out that Djokovic is nine years older than any other player in the top 20 of the ATP Rankings. The next-youngest player in the current top 20 is 29-year-old Karen Khachanov.

In reply to Clarey’s post, Ljubicic argued Djokovic’s level in his late thirties will not be replicated by other players.

“Once he retires, we will go back to normality, where humans will not be able to be competitive at highest level after certain age,” wrote Ljubicic.

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Ljubicic coached Djokovic’s great rival Federer from 2016 until his retirement in 2022, helping the Swiss legend win three of his 20 Grand Slam titles.

The Croatian won 10 ATP Tour singles titles and reached a career-high ranking of world No 3 during an illustrious playing career spanning from 1998 to 2012. Ljubicic faced Djokovic nine times, with the Serbian winning seven of their meetings.

In 2023, Ljubicic gave his opinion on whether Djokovic is the greatest player of all time.

“I think Novak is already the most successful. But the terminology ‘greatest’ is ungrateful and subjective,” he told Sport Klub.

“That’s great – everyone has their greatest, and let the debate begin. If we look at other sports, is there a GOAT in football… In basketball, [Michael] Jordan is the GOAT, but he didn’t win the most.

“It’s someone who touched you the most – for a third of the world it’s Federer, for a third of the world it’s Nadal, for a third of the world, for a third it’s Novak.”

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