Patrick Mouratoglou questions if Andy Murray can ‘reignite’ Novak Djokovic’s motivation which he ‘needs most right now’
Naomi Osaka's coach Patrick Mouratoglou cast doubt over coach Andy Murray's ability to motivate Novak Djokovic.
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Andy Murray, Patrick Mouratoglou, Novak Djokovic (Images via X)
Did Novak Djokovic lack the motivation in 2024? His mentor and friend Nenad Zimonjic claimed he had to fix Djokovic because he was unmotivated earlier this season. Naomi Osaka‘s coach Patrick Mouratoglou is also of the same opinion.
The Frenchman thinks Djokovic lacked the passion to do more for his career after surpassing his two big rivals Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. With the rise of youngsters like Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, Mouratoglou thinks tennis has become more competitive, and for Djokovic to beat them and script more records, he needs motivation.
Andy Murray is Djokovic’s coach now but Serena Williams‘ former coach cast doubt on the Scot’s ability to ‘rediscover the fire’ in Djokovic ‘that made him relentless’.
Few people understand Novak as deeply as Andy does. But the real question is: can Andy reignite Novak’s motivation? Motivation is the one thing Novak needs most right now. After dominating the era of the Big Three, outlasting both Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, Novak has little left to prove.
Patrick Mouratoglou wrote on LinkedIn
Mouratoglou thinks Murray might not be the person to bring raw energy to Djokovic’s team but he has ‘strategy, intelligence’ and his knowing the Serb ‘inside out’ would help him to push back to the top.
Fabio Fognini says Novak Djokovic used to waste his time
Fabio Fognini has met the legendary trio of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer but defeated just the Spaniard. Against Federer, he lost all four matches, while Djokovic had an 8-0 lead over the Italian. But in 18 meetings against Nadal, Fognini defeated him four times.
Fognini when asked who his favorite player is, said it’s the Swiss maestro and while commenting on it, he compared the Big 3 and explained how each of them played differently.
He [Federer] was a delight to watch. Djokovic, on the other hand, if he was in good shape, he would steal your time and not let you play. Rafa, what can I say about him? He would destroy you physically and psychologically.
Fabio Fognini told Relevo
Federer and Nadal have retired at the 2022 Laver Cup and 2024 Davis Cup respectively, while Djokovic is the only member of the Big 3 who is still playing. The Belgrade native last played an official match in the Shanghai Masters final which he lost. Former World No. 9 Fognini on the other hand last played at the Montemar Challenger in November and won the tournament.
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Gouri Das
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