Patrick Mouratoglou has a very interesting theory on Novak Djokovic’s subpar year at the Grand Slam level as Serena Williams’ former coach thinks knowing that he beat Rafael Nadal in the Slam race may have mentally impacted the Serb and his motivation levels.
When the 2023 season started, the 37-year-old was still one Major behind the Spaniard. But after making all four finals last year and adding three Slams to his last collection, the Serbian tennis giant became the first-ever male with 24 Slams.
While Nadal was able to kick off his post-hip surgery comeback in the first week of 2024, he instantly picked up an injury and didn’t play at the Australian Open. The 38-year-old’s only Grand Slam this season was the French Open, where he lost in the first round.
On the other side, Djokovic appeared in all four Majors – but didn’t win a single title on that stage for the first time since 2017. But since his biggest rival is set to officially retire at next month’s Davis Cup Finals, he is guaranteed to finish with the all-time Grand Slam record.
“For Novak it’s only about his motivation. I understand that he struggles with it at the moment because all his career was about beating the other two and up being better than them, that was the fight of his life in tennis and he…
