Patrick Mouratoglou claims everyone would say Roger Federer ‘left infinitely greater mark’ than Novak Djokovic in 50 years
Novak Djokovic recently succumbed to a straight-set defeat in his opening-round match of the Monte Carlo Masters.
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Novak Djokovic, Patrick Mouratoglou, Roger Federer (Image via X//Danny, Wikipedia, We Love Tennis)
Who is the GOAT (greatest of all time) in tennis? Again the answer is quite subjective because to different people, the answer is Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal or Novak Djokovic. The legendary trio has taken home a combined 66 Grand Slam titles.
Except for Djokovic among the Big 3, Federer and Nadal bade farewell to tennis at the 2022 Laver Cup and the 2024 Davis Cup, respectively. Serena Williams‘ former coach Patrick Mouratoglou, while discussing the GOAT debate, said that if one considers the stats, then Djokovic will be at the top but the Swiss maestro probably has left the greatest mark.
I completely agree with the idea that numbers aren’t everything, of course. Maybe in 50 years, we’ll say that Federer left an infinitely greater mark than Novak. However, when we have to designate the best player of all time, we have to base it on achievements. If we base it on another criterion, it’s completely subjective, it no longer means anything.
Patrick Mouratoglou told Eurosport
Djokovic, the winner of 24 Grand Slam titles has a chance to increase his tally but since winning the 2023 US Open, he struggled to get close to his record-extending 25th Major. So far he has reached just one Major final (at 2024 Wimbledon). This season at the Australian Open, injury hampered his progress as the 37-year-old retired-mid match from the semifinal match against World No.3 Alexander Zverev.
Djokovic has advanced to four finals since winning the 2023 ATP Finals, taking home only the gold medal at the Paris Olympics. He came close to his 100th ATP title when he progressed to the Miami Open final but Jakub Mensik denied him the same by clinching the match in straight sets, winning his career’s first ATP title.
Jimmy Connors’ son says Novak Djokovic is facing similar issues Rafael Nadal faced just before his retirement
Rafael Nadal, before hanging up his racket, made early exits and withdrew from tournaments to focus on his fitness. He struggled a lot with fitness issues since making his comeback at the 2024 Barcelona Open following a long injury layoff (but before Barcelona, he played the Brisbane International the same year but injury once again forced him to stay on the sidelines).
That year, he reached just one final, at the Swedish Open where Nuno Borges denied him the title. Nadal even suffered a first-round exit at the French Open, the tournament where the King of Clay lifted a record 14 titles. Jimmy Connors‘ son Brett Connors said Novak Djokovic‘s recent struggles are similar to that of Nadal, who retired at the age of 38.
It seems he [Novak Djokovic] still has glimpses of his legendary playing, but the movement might be an issue. We saw something similar with Nadal when he started losing matches in his last year or so. It wasn’t the strokes- it was more about the movement.
Brett Connors said on the Advantage Connors podcast
Djokovic will turn 38 this May. He will continue his hunt for his 100th title at the Madrid Open- the second Masters 1000 tournament of the season on clay, which will start on April 22. So far in the season, the Serb has participated in five tournaments and was last seen in action at the Monte Carlo Masters where in his opening round, Alejandro Tabilo knocked him out in straight sets.
Had Djokovic won the Miami Open, he would have become the third player after Connors and Roger Federer to reach the 100-title mark in Men’s tennis. Connors and Federer have lifted 109 and 103 titles, respectively.
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