Wimbledon 2018: Novak Djokovic’s latest triumph proves me right – he’s the closest we’ve seen to tennis perfection

The last two weeks have been a throwback to those times when Djokovic was clearly the best player on the planet, writes Nick Bollettieri

I remember telling readers of The Independent three or four years ago that Novak Djokovic was the closest player I had seen to tennis perfection. I never called him the greatest player in history, but when you looked at all the different departments of the game – from ground strokes to movement and from serves to mental strength – I didn’t think there had been anyone in history who could do everything as well as Djokovic.

For the last couple of years we’ve seen only intermittent flashes of his brilliance, but the last two weeks have been a throwback to those times when Djokovic was clearly the best player on the planet. He was superb against Rafa Nadal in the semi-finals and was far too good for Kevin Anderson in the final.

This has been a tournament in which the big servers have excelled, but Djokovic has proved that you don’t have to serve thunderbolts to be successful. Just as Roger Federer has done on so many occasions, Djokovic showed that perfect placement and getting in a high percentage of first serves can be just as effective as the sledgehammer approach.

Holy cow, what a cool customer Djokovic was at the end of the third set as he saved a succession of break points and set points. In sweltering heat on Centre Court, Djokovic was hardly breaking sweat.

It looked like the physical demands and the excitement of the last few days finally caught up with Anderson, but he can be proud of what he’s achieved both in terms of his results and the way he has conducted himself.

My best memories of the last fortnight are a combination of the wonderful five-set men’s matches we’ve seen in the second week of the tournament and Serena Williams’ extraordinary performances. She has overcome so many challenges in the last year and has demonstrated why she’s the greatest female player in history, even if Angelique Kerber’s movement and athleticism was too much for her in the final.

I should also pay credit to everyone at the All England Club for staging such a great tournament. I can’t wait to be back next year.

Once again, the Wimbledon fans have also been magnificent. You see them queuing every day and packing Henman Hill in their thousands. It’s their enthusiasm that helps to make Wimbledon what it is.

There’s always a little sadness when this fortnight ends, but I’m already looking forward to the US Open, which continues to take big steps forward under the excellent leadership of Katrina Adams. The United States Tennis Association is also doing great work with its inner-city programmes. I’ve been very excited to work with Kurt Kamperman, the USTA’s Chief Executive Community Tennis, on this.

Attention now turns to the US Open (Getty)

Meanwhile I hope my daily tennis tips will have been helpful to those keen tennis players among you. I hope I’ll actually see some of you at the IMG Academy which I founded in Bradenton, Florida all those years ago. Whether you spend time on our adult or our junior coaching programme, I know you’ll have a super time.

I also hope you’ll have time to read my new book, which will be published around the time of the US Open. It’s my personal account of what I’ve learned in a lifetime of coaching tennis. The Professional Tennis Registry will be publishing the book and you can find out how to buy it at www.ptrtennis.org.

And finally, my thanks to all The Independent’s readers. It’s always a pleasure to be a member of the best writing team at Wimbledon. Bring on 2019!

It has been another memorable fortnight (Getty)

For more information on the IMG Academy’s tennis programmes email info@imgacademy.com or call +1-800-872-6425