Patrick Mouratoglou Bizarrely Claims Novak Djokovic’s Tennis Is ‘Mediocre’ Compared to Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer
Novak Djokovic will be chasing his first title of the season in the ongoing Geneva Open where he reached the semifinal last year.
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Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Patrick Mouratoglou, Novak Djokovic (Image via Vogue, X/We Are Tennis)
Novak Djokovic is currently dealing with a slump in form and was not a part of the recently concluded Italian Open, skipping the last clay-court Masters 1000 for the first time since 2007. He failed to win a set in the two clay-court tournaments he has played so far (the Monte Carlo Masters and the Madrid Open) and next, he will be participating at the Geneva Open.
Recently, Serena Williams‘ former coach Patrick Mouratoglou compared Djokovic’s playing style to that of his former biggest rivals Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. He reiterated that Nole’s game was average as compared to the retired players and credited Djokovic’s winning mentality to his success.
When you look at Djokovic’s tennis at nineteen, at no point can you think he’s going to become what he is today. And even today, if you’re really observant, he’s a player compared to the other two, it’s terrible to say that, but he’s almost mediocre. He does everything very well, but he doesn’t really have any strong shots.
Patrick Mouratoglou told Bartoli Time
Djokovic has not yet won a title since clinching his career’s first Olympic gold medal in Paris last year. Since that victory, the 24-time Grand Slam champion progressed to two finals (the 2024 Shanghai Masters and this year’s Miami Open), losing both to World No.1 Jannik Sinner and Jakub Mensik, respectively.
Jim Courier urges Jannik Sinner to learn from Novak Djokovic
The Italian Masters 1000 was Jannik Sinner‘s first tournament since his three-month doping ban. He did not disappoint the crowd as he reached the final but was unsuccessful in defeating Carlos Alcaraz.
The first set was a tight one but Sinner was no match for Alcaraz in the second set as he could win just one game. While analyzing Sinner’s game, former player Jim Courier advised the three-time Grand Slam champion to learn from Novak Djokovic‘s playing style.
He doesn’t have that luxury on the ad court with the kicker going into the backhand. Does he need to take a page out of Djokovic’s playbook and just go heavy deep through the middle with that second return in the ad court, standing up on the baseline so he doesn’t get put too far out of court with the backhand?
Jim Courier told Tennis Channel Live Podcast
Alcaraz became a three-time titlist this season as before Rome. He also clinched the Rotterdam Open and the Monte Carlo Masters. For Sinner, it was his second final of the season after the Australian Open, which he defended. Alcaraz broke Sinner’s 26-match winning streak and also his streak of 24 straight set wins over top 10 players. They will now be gearing up for the French Open, which starts on May 25th.
After his win, Alcaraz also toppled Alexander Zverev from the No.2 ranking, but Sinner will continue to be the World No.1 player. Djokovic dropped to the sixth position after the Madrid Open. Britain’s Jack Draper had reached the final in the Spanish capital and the points he received helped him remove Djokovic from the fifth spot.
Novak Djokovic to play Marton Fucsovics in his Geneva Open opening round
Djokovic’s next tournament, the Geneva Open, kicked off on May 17. He is the second seed in the ATP 250 tournament and will start his campaign against Marton Fucsovics.
The 37-year-old is expected to win his first match after nearly two months. Against the Hungarian ace, Djokovic has won all five matches they played against each other. The fourth-round clash in Geneva will be their first encounter since the second round of the 2023 French Open, which Djokovic lifted later.
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