Serena Williams' ex-coach compares Novak Djokovic to Michael Jordan & Kobe Bryant: "He looks at boos as cheers"

Rick Macci, a veteran tennis coach best known for training the Williams sisters, has hailed Novak Djokovic's resilience while being confronted with booing crowds. Macci's praise came moments after Djokovic's encounter with an unruly crowd at Rod Laver Arena as he overcame Jiri Lehecka to move into the quarterfinals of the Australian Open.

Macci has hailed Djokovic as the "mentally strongest player to ever hold the stick" following his triumph over Lehecka. He went on to compare the Serb's resilience to all-time NBA greats Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant.

"Novak is the mentally strongest player to ever hold the stick. He (Djokovic) has mastered flipping the mental script just like JORDAN AND KOBE," Macci observed on X, adding that the Serb looks at boos as "cheers" and "just loves battling his opponent and booing Crowd no matter how loud. GOAT MIESTER 101."

Djokovic was visibly flustered by hecklers in the crowd, who appeared to side with Lehecka, especially in the third set. After the match ended, the Serb acknowledged the crowd and abruptly left the stadium, refusing to give a post-match interview to presenter Jim Courier.

Novak Djokovic later revealed why he had refused the customary interview and said that he expects an apology from Channel Nine, the main broadcaster of the event, and veteran presenter Tony Jones, for making a "mockery" of Serbian fans and "insulting and offensive comments" towards him.

Recently, Jones, a three-decade veteran at the channel, had a testy exchange with a group of vocal Serbian supporters outside the main stadium.

Jones teased them saying, "Novak, he's overrated,' 'Novak's a has-been,' 'Novak, kick him out.' Boy, I'm glad they can't hear me."

Novak Djokovic released a video on X (the erstwhile Twitter) explaining the situation.

"Few days ago, a famous sports journalist, who works for official broadcaster Channel 9 in Australia, decided to mock Serbian fans and also made insulting and offensive comments towards me," Novak Djokovic said in the video post. "And since then he chose not to issue any public apology. Neither did Channel Nine. So since they’re official broadcasters, I chose not to give interviews for Channel Nine."

The controversy has blown up since Djokovic released his message, and the video has accumulated over 30 million views on X alone.

It was recently highlighted by Elon Musk, the owner of the platform. Reposting Novak Djokovic's video, Musk claimed:

"It's way better just to talk to the public directly than go through the negativity filter of legacy media."

Tennis stars including Victoria Azarenka and Nick Kyrgios have also condemned Jones' behaviour.

Meanwhile, Djokovic is set to lock horns with familiar foe Carlos Alcaraz for a spot in the semifinals.

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Novak Djokovic vs Carlos Alcaraz quarterfinal set to be blockbuster for the ages

After a straight-sets win against Jiri Lehecka, Novak Djokovic has set up a mouth-watering clash with Spanish four-time Grand Slam champion Carlos Alcaraz. The rivalry has delivered several legendary matches, many of which have gone down to the wire. Novak Djokovic leads the head-to-head 4-3.

Three of their encounters have been at the Grand Slam level, with Alcaraz holding a 2-1 edge. While the Spaniard emerged victorious in the two finals they played at Wimbledon (2023, 2024), Djokovic edged his younger rival when they met in the last four of the 2023 French Open.

Macci has also weighed in on the upcoming encounter.

"On paper Alcaraz is the favorite," Macci wrote, adding, "on court Joker is the goat."

The veteran coach suggested that whoever "blinks the least" in the big points would proceed into the semifinal. The winner of the Novak Djokovic-Carlos Alcaraz encounter will face the victor of the other quarterfinal, between Tommy Paul and Alexander Zverev, for a spot in the championship match.