While Novak Djokovic is the clear pick for many, the debate over who the greatest tennis player of all time is continues to rage on in 2026.
The ‘big three’ of Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer dominated an entire era, and each star has a case to make for the ‘GOAT’ title.
Following Carlos Alcaraz’s triumph at the Australian Open, many fans have since started to also put the young Spaniard’s name in the discussion, despite him still being aged just 22.
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Though not everyone thinks Djokovic is the greatest player ever overall, few will argue the claim that he is the best returner in tennis history.
In a recent post on Instagram, Serena Williams’ former coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, explained why the Serb is so good against serve.
Patrick Mouratoglou analyses Novak Djokovic’s return of serve
Mouratoglou said: “The first thing Novak Djokovic does is use zero backswing.
“You simply don’t have time. The ball comes way too fast. The only thing you can do is turn the shoulders. You’ll notice the arm barely moves. Without a backswing, you can control the contact point.
“Second, Novak uses his legs, especially his outside leg. He never just moves along the baseline, he cuts the trajectory. He pushes off that outside leg to move forward into the ball.
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“Third, Novak doesn’t really swing at the return. Instead, he guides the ball. He uses his body weight and the power of the incoming serve to redirect the ball where he wants.
“Fourth, he almost always returns deep through the centre, which is the best target against a first serve.
“There’s a simple reason. When a player serves, they jump and land slightly inside the court. If the return comes back fast to that central area, the server is caught off balance. They either miss or have to slow down and play a shorter ball, giving Novak control of the point.”
Novak Djokovic’s return statistics so far this season
So far this season, Djokovic has registered a return rating of 153.3, which ranks sixth on the ATP Tour.
Serve rating takes into account percentage of first serve return points won, percentage of second serve return points won, percentage of return games won and percentage of break points converted.
Djokovic trails Daniil Medvedev, Alex de Minaur, Francisco Cerundolo, Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, with the Italian leading the tour by recording a serve rating of 166.6.
| Rank | Player | Serve Rating |
| 1 | Jannik Sinner | 166.6 |
| 2 | Carlos Alcaraz | 163.3 |
| 3 | Francisco Cerundolo | 159.1 |
| 4 | Alex de Minaur | 157.5 |
| 5 | Daniil Medvedev | 155.0 |
| 6 | Novak Djokovic | 153.3 |
Having played just one tournament in 2026, the Australian Open, Djokovic has tallied a total of 32.1% of points won on first serve return, 52.5% of points won on second serve return.
He has won 26.4% of his return games, while converting 42.3% of break point opportunities.
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