As I travel the world representing the IMG Academy Bollettieri Tennis Program, I am often asked who, in my opinion, is the best player ever in the history of tennis. I will not answer this question here but I will go on the line to describe who I believe is the most perfect tennis machine, similar to the F-18 navy fighter jet.

Let me start out by saying there is never anything that is absolutely perfect. However, as I go back in time (60 years) and think about all of the players I’ve had the privilege of watching, I believe Novak Djokovic’s overall game, including the mental and physical parts, may be as perfect as I’ve seen. I will explain why.

Forehand

His grip is a perfect semi-western, and not an extreme western, which gives him the option to execute:

Drives (flat forehand)

Spin (topspin)

Angles

Swinging volleys

His swing pattern is very compact, with excellent balance throughout the entire swing, including loading up on the back leg and then shifting his weight forward. He utilises his non-hitting hand to balance his body and also as a pointing hand to the target area.

Wimbledon 2015 - in pictures Show all 74 1 /74 Wimbledon 2015 - in pictures Wimbledon 2015 - in pictures Day 13 Novak Djokovic celebrates with the Wimbledon title alongside beaten finalist Roger Federer GETTY IMAGES Wimbledon 2015 - in pictures Day 13 As per usual, Djokovic eats a bit of the SW19 grass in celebration GETTY IMAGES Wimbledon 2015 - in pictures Day 13 Novak Djokovic celebrates winning Wimbledon GETTY IMAGES Wimbledon 2015 - in pictures Day 13 Novak Djokovic wins a point GETTY IMAGES Wimbledon 2015 - in pictures Day 13 A downbeat Roger Federer reacts in the final GETTY IMAGES Wimbledon 2015 - in pictures Day 13 Novak Djokovic plays a strong return GETTY IMAGES Wimbledon 2015 - in pictures Day 12 Williams and Muguruza show off their respective winner and runner-up trophies Getty Images Wimbledon 2015 - in pictures Day 12 Serena Williams with the Wimbledon title Getty Images Wimbledon 2015 - in pictures Day 12 Muguruza and Williams embrace after their Wimbledon final Getty Images Wimbledon 2015 - in pictures Day 12 Serena Williams celebrates winning a point against Garbine Muguruza in the Wimbledon final Getty Images Wimbledon 2015 - in pictures Day 12 Serena Williams celebrates winning a point against Garbine Muguruza in the Wimbledon final Getty Images Wimbledon 2015 - in pictures Day 11 Roger Federer rolled back the years to produce a brilliant display to set up a final against Novak Djokovic Getty Images Wimbledon 2015 - in pictures Day 11 Andy Murray reacts after losing a point to Roger Federer Getty Images Wimbledon 2015 - in pictures Day 11 Novak Djokovic celebrates after easing into the final with a win over Richard Gasquet Getty Images Wimbledon 2015 - in pictures Day 11 Richard Gasquet rarely troubled Djokovic in a straight sets defeat Getty Images Wimbledon 2015 - in pictures Day 10 Serena Williams celebrates victory over Maria Sharapova in the semi-finals GETTY IMAGES Wimbledon 2015 - in pictures Day 10 Garbine Muguruza clinches semi-final victory GETTY IMAGES Wimbledon 2015 - in pictures Day 9 Roger Federer celebrates his win over Gilles Simon GETTY IMAGES Wimbledon 2015 - in pictures Day 9 The players embrace after the match GETTY IMAGES Wimbledon 2015 - in pictures Day 9 Andy Murray celebrates his win over Vasek Pospisil GETTY IMAGES Wimbledon 2015 - in pictures Day 9 The Dutchess and Duke of Cambridge look on GETTY IMAGES Wimbledon 2015 - in pictures Day 9 David Beckham and son Romeo watch Andy Murray GETTY IMAGES Wimbledon 2015 - in pictures Day 9 The roof over Centre Court closes during Murray's quarter-final match GETTY IMAGES Wimbledon 2015 - in pictures Day 8 Jamie Murray on his way to the men's doubles semi-finals GETTY IMAGES Wimbledon 2015 - in pictures Day 8 Madison Keys pictured in her defeat to Agnieszka Radwanska GETTY IMAGES Wimbledon 2015 - in pictures Day 8 Maria Sharapova celebrates after coming through her tough quarter-final match against Coco Vandeweghe GETTY IMAGES Wimbledon 2015 - in pictures Day 8 Garbine Muguruza celebrates her quarter-final victory GETTY IMAGES Wimbledon 2015 - in pictures Day 8 Novak Djokovic on his way to victory against Kevin Anderson after their fourth round match resumed GETTY IMAGES Wimbledon 2015 - in pictures Day 7 Roger Federer was in complete control throughout his three-set victory over Bautista Agut Getty Wimbledon 2015 - in pictures Day 7 Caroline Wozniacki on her way to defeat against Garbine Muguruza Getty Wimbledon 2015 - in pictures Day 7 Andy Murray in action against Ivo Karlovic GETTY IMAGES Wimbledon 2015 - in pictures Day 7 Ivo Karlovic in action against Murray GETTY IMAGES Wimbledon 2015 - in pictures Day 7 Murray in action in his fourth round tie on Centre Court GETTY IMAGES Wimbledon 2015 - in pictures Day 7 Andy Murray in action against Ivo Karlovic GETTY IMAGES Wimbledon 2015 - in pictures Day 7 Nick Kyrgios clashes with the umpire during his defeat to Gasquet GETTY IMAGES Wimbledon 2015 - in pictures Day 7 Maria Sharapova during her fourth round win GETTY IMAGES Wimbledon 2015 - in pictures Day 7 Serena is congratulated by sister Venus after their fourth round contest GETTY IMAGES Wimbledon 2015 - in pictures Day Six Andy Murray was in real trouble for a short time against Andreas Seppi and needed a medical timeout to work on his shoulder Getty Images Wimbledon 2015 - in pictures Day Six But the Scot rallied and won six games in a row to march into the fourth round Getty Images Wimbledon 2015 - in pictures Day Six James Ward is cheered off by the home support after losing an epic battle with Vasek Pospisil Getty Images Wimbledon 2015 - in pictures Day Six Defending champion Petra Kvitova leaves the court in tears after shock defeat to Jelena Jankovic Getty Images Wimbledon 2015 - in pictures Day Six Angelique Kerber was upset by Garbine Muguruza, who was seeded 10 places below the German Getty Images Wimbledon 2015 - in pictures Day Six No 5 seed Caroline Wozniacki made quick work of Camila Giorgi Getty Images Wimbledon 2015 - in pictures Day Six Marin Cilic needed five sets and a 12-10 tie-break to beat American John Isner Getty Images Wimbledon 2015 - in pictures Day Six Roger Federer Eased to a win over Sam Groth Getty Images Wimbledon 2015 - in pictures Day Six Wimbledon darling Dustin Brown packs up after defeat to Viktor Troicki Getty Images Wimbledon 2015 - in pictures Day Five Serena Williams celebrates her triumph over Heather Watson GETTY IMAGES Wimbledon 2015 - in pictures Day Five Heather Watson wins a point in the third set GETTY IMAGES Wimbledon 2015 - in pictures Day Five Serena Williams reacts to losing a point GETTY IMAGES Wimbledon 2015 - in pictures Day Five Grigor Dimitrov was knocked out after losing to Richard Gasquet GETTY IMAGES Wimbledon 2015 - in pictures Day Five Maria Sharapova celebrates her win over Irina-Camelia Begu Wimbledon 2015 - in pictures Day Four Tennis world number 102 Dustin Brown has shaken Wimbledon by knocking out two-time champion Rafael Nadal Wimbledon 2015 - in pictures Day Four Roger Federer plays a cheeky shot during his second round win over Sam Querrey GETTY IMAGES Wimbledon 2015 - in pictures Day Four Petra Kvitova celebrates her second round win GETTY IMAGES Wimbledon 2015 - in pictures Day Four The Duchess of Cornwall meets Rafa Nadal GETTY IMAGES Wimbledon 2015 - in pictures Day Four Adam Lallana of Liverpool at Wimbledon with Game of Thrones star Kit Harington GETTY IMAGES Wimbledon 2015 - in pictures Day Four Andy Murray in second round action where he beat Robin Haase in straight sets GETTY IMAGES Wimbledon 2015 - in pictures Day Four Wimbledon fans feel the heat GETTY IMAGES Wimbledon 2015 - in pictures Day Three Milos Raonic of Canada serves to Tommy Haas of Germany during their singles match AP Wimbledon 2015 - in pictures Day Three Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria reaches for the ball trying to return to Steve Johnson AP Wimbledon 2015 - in pictures Day Three Heather Watson impressed to beat Daniela Hanutchova in straight sets Getty Images Wimbledon 2015 - in pictures Day Three Novak Djokovic eased into the third round with a win against Jarkko Nieminen, who played his last game at the tournament GETTY IMAGES Wimbledon 2015 - in pictures Day Two Defending champion Petra Kvitova made light work of Kiki Bertens, dropping just one set Getty Images Wimbledon 2015 - in pictures Day Two Heather Watson booked her place in the second round but upsetting No 32 seed Caroline Garcia Getty Images Wimbledon 2015 - in pictures Day Two Laura Robson played her first Grand Slam match in 17 months but lost to Evgeniya Rodina Getty Images Wimbledon 2015 - in pictures Day Two No 10 seed Rafa Nadal was given some problems by Tomaz Bellucci but prevailed Getty Images Wimbledon 2015 - in pictures Day Two Roger Federer was excellent as he beat Damir Dzumhur in straight sets Getty Images Wimbledon 2015 - in pictures Day Two Getty Images Wimbledon 2015 - in pictures Day One A blue tit stole the show early on the first day of the tournament BBC Wimbledon 2015 - in pictures Day One Serena Williams made hard work over her victory over Margarita Gasparyan Getty Images Wimbledon 2015 - in pictures Day One Novak Djokovic boked his place in the second round with a 6-4 6-4 6-4 win over Philipp Kohlschreiber Getty Images Wimbledon 2015 - in pictures Day One Liam Broady produced a brilliant fightback from two sets down to beat Marinko Matosevic - a man ranked 43 places above him Getty Images Wimbledon 2015 - in pictures Day One Maria Sharapova was impressive in beating Britain's Johanna Konta Getty Images Wimbledon 2015 - in pictures Day One Kei Nishikori reacts after the No 5 seed struggled to a five-set win Getty Images

Backhand

His grip is made up of a strong eastern forehand for the top hand and a weak eastern (some would say continental) for the bottom hand. His bottom hand steadies the racket, enabling his upper hand (the left) to do all of the work for the following shots:

Drive

Cross-courts and down-the-lines with depth and spin

Fantastic disguised lobs

Angle spin shots

Deceptively good slices

Touch

Novak has some of the very best drop shots and touch shots from both his forehand and backhand sides. He can also hit slices from both his forehand and backhand sides.

Serve

Novak’s serve is very effective. While he has good power, he also executes all variations of the serve. He can deliver well-placed slices to both boxes, kick-serves wide to the ad side, and can hit very offensive first serves.

His service motion has excellent timing and balance plus a full use of his lower body. He lets the racket head accelerate with the serving arm fully extended.

Overhead

Novak’s overhead is as good as it gets. His balance and form are superb, as are his movements to any position to hit the overhead.

Swinging volley

Novak’s swinging volley is as good as it gets from both sides.

Volley

Many people don’t realise it but Novak is an excellent volleyer. He is very comfortable at the net and can hit all variations of the volley. His footwork and balance are excellent. He has a very simple shoulder turn, with very little backswing, and redirects the ball with the opponent’s power.

Movement

Yes, Novak has great speed and can move in any direction but what makes him extraordinary is the balance and flexibility he exhibits from all positions on the court, even in incredibly awkward positions.

Stances

Novak can hit from all stances, including the open, semi-open, neutral, and even the closed stances. No matter what stance he hits from on his groundstrokes, at the same time he hits the ball he starts his recovery movement. By doing this he can reach the next ball a split second quicker and most of the time can control play, and even put his opponent into a defensive position, from a defensive position.

Return of serve

Novak can return serve from any return position but most of the time he prefers to stand very close to the baseline and redirect the return using the speed of the serve. This position gets the return back very quickly, immediately putting the server on the defensive. At times he will alter his position on the return, causing the server to adjust his serving tactic, resulting in a fault.

Sixth sense

Novak’s anticipation is so good it makes you wonder if he has a sixth sense about where his opponent is directing the ball. He also has excellent vision. His eyes pick up the ball the split fraction of a second it leaves the opponent’s racket, like Andre Agassi. Only a few athletes in any sport can react and anticipate the way Novak is able to. His ability to know where the ball will be hit and ability to react so quickly is a gift from the Man Above.

Yes, I fully understand coaches tell their students if you hit the ball here, expect the ball to be returned there. Players like Novak, Rafa Nadal and Roger Federer, however, seem to have abilities that a coach cannot teach, when it comes to anticipation and split-second reaction to the ball.

Physical and nutrition

For several years players, coaches, and fans thought Novak didn’t train sufficiently because he got tired so quickly and would react by trying to slow down play and attempting low-percentage shots to end points quickly. How it happened I do not know, but after evaluation by medical experts he discovered he had a problem with gluten, which was causing him to have physical limitations while competing in physically demanding matches. A change then took place with his diet and he experienced much greater stamina and strength as a result. Now he can compete for many hours at the highest physical levels and has, in fact, won some of the longest and most gruelling matches played on the ATP Tour.

Personality

Novak has an engaging, fun- loving, thoughtful and honest personality that is very appealing and great for the game. He can entertain (I especially like his dance moves and imitations of other players) and thrill the audience. The fans know they are in for a show every time he steps on to the court.

The Djokovic family has done a lot for tennis in Serbia. I was fortunate to be hosted there by the family during Serbia’s ATP tournament as their guest. Their entire family was a delight for me to be with. I’ve also had the chance to work with Novak’s youngest brother, Djordje, on several occasions at the IMG Academy Bollettieri Tennis Program.

The future

Novak has new responsibilities, including a new wife and a new child. It will be very interesting to see how he handles these new pressures. My opinion is that he will be a fabulous father and will always be at or near the top of the game for the rest of his career.

Oh yes, the newest addition to his coaching team, a former student of mine, Boris Becker, adds important tips here and there but never saying too much. You don’t want to change a champion. You look for the little things that can help and coaches know how to do that.