Patrick Mouratoglou, Novak Djokovic (Credits: Twitter)
Patrick Mouratoglou (Image Credits: Getty Images) and Novak Djokovic (Image Credits: The Irish Sun)
After the dust has settled on Wimbledon 2023, pundits and fans alike are dissecting the reasons why the indomitable Novak Djokovic ended up losing on Centre Court for the very first time in over a decade.
Serena Williams’ former coach Patrick Mouratoglou, who is one of the finest tennis brains, feels that the burden of the weight of history took a toll on the Serb, and was the primary reason for his defeat to young gun Carlos Alcaraz.
Giving his take on one of the all-time great Wimbledon finals, Mouratoglou opined that the 23-time Grand Slam champion could have played a lot better, especially in the big moments of the Wimbledon final. Patrick felt that the Serb was quite nervous and that always being the favorite, and chasing history does hold one back at times.
“It was a very mental match, and both of the guys got tense. I mean a Grand Slam final has to be mental for sure. And I think the best image is the tiebreak in the second set, and he (Novak) has this backhand, and he hits the net. He could’ve killed the match and he didn’t,” Mouratoglou said in a video posted on his Instagram handle.
The 53-year-old, one of the premier coaches in the world of tennis, believed that Carlos Alcaraz too had his fair share of tense moments in the match. The Frenchman alluded to Alcaraz’s missed break opportunities at the beginning of the fourth set when the Serb was really feeling the heat.
Shifting focus to World No.1, Patrick said, “We can say the same for Carlos. He was two sets to one up and then he had these two break points at the start of the fourth.And Novak is super down at that time and he doesn’t make them either.”
Stressing the fact that the ‘underdog’ tag helped Carlos Alcaraz, Patrick attributed this as the primary reason why the Spaniard could play his shots with more freedom. “The reason why Carlos won the Wimbledon Final, I believe is because he felt free to go for his shots in the big moments and Novak didn’t,” he said.
Novak Djokovic ‘beatable’ in big matches, says Patrick Mouratoglou
Novak Djokovic smashes his racket during Wimbledon 2023 final (Image via talkSport)
In recent years, it is almost academic that Novak Djokovic will start as the favorite in most Grand Slams. However, Patrick Mouratoglou feels that the burden of the weight of history can sometimes be detrimental to the Serb.
“The situation he is in now, he is really beatable in those matches because of the weight of the history. I feel that being this ultimate favorite all the time, and playing for history, it has to be a burden,” Mouratoglou added.
Stressing that the ‘underdog’ tag aided in the victory of the 20-year-old Alcaraz, Patrick, who used to coach another young gun Holger Rune until recently, said he doesn’t believe that Carlos has an edge over Novak in any significant way. He emphasized that the top 2 players in the world are neck and neck, saying: “I don’t think that Carlos has an edge on Novak. I think he beat him in the Grand Slam final. Novak beat him in Roland-Garros. So, I think both players are very close in terms of level.”
In hindsight, few would disagree with Patrick’s views on the epic Wimbledon clash between the two men separated by a whopping 16-year age gap. Novak could have taken an unassailable two-set lead and put the match to rest, but uncharacteristically, a high unforced error count from the Serb led to his undoing. How much this has to do with the burden of winning a record-extending 24th Grand Slam title and record-equaling eighth Wimbledon crown is subject to debate, given that the 36-year-old thrives under pressure, probably more so than any other player in the history of tennis.
With the top 2 splitting their two Grand Slam matches this year, with Novak winning their French Open semi-final encounter and Carlos exacting revenge in the Wimbledon final, the stage is well set for a grand spectacle at Flushing Meadows. If the two gladiators were to meet at the showpiece event of the US Open in a few weeks’ time, it would certainly be a mouth-watering prospect.
Arjun is a connoisseur of all things sports. He has been a tennis aficionado since 2004, and he also follows cricket, football, the NBA, and Formula 1.
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Arjun K
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