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‘Better Than Roger and Rafa’- Novak Djokovic’s ‘Revenge’ Mindset Dissected as Serena Williams’ Ex-coach Stirs Fresh Controversy With a Bold Message

Published 09/30/2023, 11:48 AM EDT

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When it comes to tennis, there are only three names that stand out in men’s tennis, namely Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic. Over the years, people have created their own opinions on who among the three is a better player. While the three had their own legacy in the sport, the G.O.A.T debate is something that could rage on forever. Joining the likes to this debate was none other than Serena Williams’ former coach Patrick Mouratoglou.

In his latest Instagram video, he gave his opinion on Novak Djokovic while claiming to made a long before prediction about the Serbian. Further, he went ahead to talk about some points that make the 24-time grand slam winner a monster as compared to his rivals Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

Serena Williams’ former coach takes Novak Djokovic’s side as he leaves behind his rivals

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Renowned tennis coach Patrick Mouratoglou provides an insight into his early predictions regarding Novak Djokovic’s record-breaking Grand Slam career. At a time when Djokovic had 12 or 13 Grand Slam titles, Mouratoglou predicted his potential, even surpassing tennis legends Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal on various surfaces. Despite occasional losses, Djokovic’s consistency stood out, making him a tough player to deal with.

Mouratoglou’s belief in Djokovic’s longevity stemmed from the Serbian’s impeccable physical condition, contrasting with Nadal’s injury-prone style. Djokovic’s game, less taxing on the body, and his commitment to diet and training made him the ideal tennis athlete.

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“I said that Djokovic would probably be the record holder of a number of grand slams when he had 12 or 13. I thought so for several reasons. First of all, he was dominant already. At that time, he was better than Roger and Rafa. Of course, Rafa was always better on clay, but on all the other surfaces, he was superior. Also, he was still young and I knew that his body was in perfect shape,” said Mouratoglou in his video.

“He’s just for me, the perfect athlete for tennis. And third, I would say, his mindset. He is really someone who wants to dominate. The fact that there were so many fans for the two others and less for him that he was not as liked as the two others, I felt that this created in him the will to take revenge,” he further continued.

Thus, the comments made by Serena Williams‘ former coach highlight the immense potential that the Serbian had while he was making an impact on the game. With 36 years old and still going strong, it is only time that will reveal his heroics. However, despite him making big, there was a time when Patrick thought that the time for Novak Djokovic had finally come to a close.

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Patrick Mouratoglou believed that Novak Djokovic was beatable after Wimbledon loss

It was the finals of the Wimbledon and Novak Djokovic suffered a long-fought battle with Carlos Alcaraz. While the whole world praised Carlos for his triumph, Patrick believed that the reign of Novak Djokovic had come to an end. In his interview, he revealed that the ‘ultimate favorite player of all time’  must be feeling a huge burden following his Wimbledon loss.

He further went ahead to suggest that chasing history and creating new records is really affecting Novak Djokovic at this point. Therefore, he went ahead to mention that he is now beatable because of the ‘weight of the history’ that he carries along with him.

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However, Novak came back stronger to clinch the US Open while proving his dominance back in the sport. While at 36, Novak knows no stopping as his hunger to clinch grand slam success has driven him to go beyond his limits. How many more grand slams do you think he can win? Let us know in the comments below.

Watch this story: Hilarious Meaning of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Serena Williams on Urban Dictionary!

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Written by:

Akshat Gaur

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Akshat Gaur is a Tennis Writer at EssentiallySports. He completed his Bachelor’s degree in 2021 and has been writing since then. With over two years of experience in the world of sports journalism, specifically tennis journalism, Akshat is someone who is immensely passionate about covering the ATP and the WTA Tour.
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