“I lost three out of four Slams in semis against these guys, so they’re just too good, playing on a really high level,” confessed a dejected Novak Djokovic earlier this month after Carlos Alcaraz ended his US Open run. The 24-time Grand Slam champion was halted at the semifinals of all four majors this season, failing to go that extra mile and take his tally to the magical figure of 25 Grand Slams. After his hamstring injury forced him to bow out of Melbourne, Jannik Sinner proved his undoing in Paris and London, followed by the Alcaraz in New York. However, it seems the real cause of the Serbian’s failure might not be the Sincaraz duo’s dominance at all, according to this coach.

Patrick Mouratoglou—who previously guided Serena Williams to 10 of her 23 major titles back in the day—has given his take on Djokovic’s ongoing ‘Slam struggles’. He believes that Djokovic has probably realized that he is not invincible anymore. Something he used to believe two years ago, prior to Alcaraz and Sinner’s rise.

“It’s incredible to think that just two years ago, Novak was on top of the world. He was the best player by far in 2023: winning three Grand Slams and reaching the final of the fourth,” said Mouratoglou. “He was saying: “36 is the new 26, my body is in perfect shape.” read his post from September 22. But now, “the message has changed. From being untouchable, he started to lose against Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz. And now, he admits: “my body is not strong enough to fight those two guys in five-set Grand Slams.”

Mouratoglou underlined, “At Roland-Garros, there were signs of limitation. At Wimbledon, it became undeniable. At the US Open, he looked exhausted after just two sets against Carlos.” In simple words, his trajectory this season “went from ‘my body is perfect’ to ‘my body is failing me because of age.’” Highlighting the root cause behind Djokovic’s unsuccesful Slams, Mouratoglou continued, “The real issue is not whether his body is weaker, but that he seems to believe it. And that belief is new.”

According to Mouratoglou, this shift in the Serbian’s mindset is “massive. Novak’s greatest strength was his unbreakable belief. If that inner conviction is gone, the body follows.” He even went on to suggest that winning a  25th major title may not be possible for him at all. “If Novak feels he can no longer win Slams, “I don’t think he will keep playing much longer.”

Djokovic’s only title win in 2025 was the Geneva Open; it was also his 100th ATP title on the tour. But with a player like him, a drought like the one he’s had this season is uncharacteristic. But at 38, it finally seems like younger stars have begun to catch up to and surpass him at the biggest stages. And Djokovic himself admitted to the same in a rather candid self-assessment.

Novak Djokovic speaks on his Carlos Alcaraz-Jannik Sinner woes

Carlos Alcaraz didn’t let Novak Djokovic win a single set this time in New York. And guess what? It was the same case against Jannik Sinner, too, at Roland Garros and then Wimbledon. Although he ended up in the semis of all four slams in 2025, Novak Djokovic revealed his undeniable weak point. “I’m happy with my level of tennis, but it’s just the physicality of it,” he said during the US Open.

He then went on to express an honest assessment of his performances against the Spaniard and the Italian. Painting a gloomy picture moving forward, he said, “I can do only as much as I can do. It will be very difficult for me in the future to overcome the hurdle of Sinner, Alcaraz, in best-of-five at the Grand Slams. I think I have a better chance in best-of-three, but best-of-five, it’s tough.”

After the four semifinal defeats, one would assume that the thought of retirement might have crossed his mind. So is that the case? Well, at least not yet. Seems like Djokovic still wants to keep his hunger alive for that magical, 25th Grand Slam.

“I’m going to continue fighting and trying to get to the finals and fight for another trophy, at least.” However, he reminded everyone that “it’s going to be a very difficult task.” Do you think Djokovic still has the inspiration to power himself to one more Slam triumph? Let us know in the comments below.