Carlos Alcaraz’s epic five-set win against Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon final had many tennis fans thinking this could be the passing of the torch from the veteran to the youngster. Alcaraz, still only 20, defeated the 23 time Grand Slam champion at the Centre Court in London and claimed his maiden Wimbledon title after a statement win. However, Serena Williams’ former coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, thinks that the Spaniard will not prevent Djokovic from winning more Grand Slam titles despite beating the Serb in the final.
Mouratoglou believes the loss in the Wimbledon final will, in fact, help Djokovic to win more titles in his quest to be the player with the most Grand Slam titles. The Frenchman even suggested that Djokovic can play more freely now, without the burden of expectations and the pressure of chasing history.
Carlos Alcaraz won’t prevent Djokovic from winning more Majors
Wimbledon final 2023 was not just another final for Novak Djokovic. The Serbian superstar was chasing a record equaling 24th Grand Slam title, a record equaling 8th Wimbledon title and another shot at Calendar Grand Slam. With so much riding on one match, the burden of expectations and history at stake, the final of Wimbledon was one of the toughest losses in Djokovic’s career.
Patrick Mouratoglou feels that with this defeat, Djokovic will finally be free from the burden of history and can get back to enjoying tennis again. He also believes that losing to Carlos Alcaraz will enable Djokovic to play more freely and win more titles. Mouratoglou further said that he does not feel Alcaraz will prevent Djokovic from winning more titles and expects Djokovic to make a winning comeback soon.
“I feel that being this ultimate favourite all the time and playing for history, it has to be a burden,” he says. “So now in a way that Carlos is a favourite as well, Novak will feel more free the next time he plays him. Will he (Alcaraz) prevent Novak from winning any (more) Grand Slams? I don’t think so.”
Alcaraz’s win at the Wimbledon final may have prevented a calendar slam for Djokovic but Mouratoglou expects the Serb to comeback stronger and win more Grand Slams.
Alcaraz not better than Djokovic?
When talking about the levels’ of both players, Mouratoglou believes that Alcaraz does not have an edge over Djokovic and the defeat in the final came because the 36-year-old was ‘very nervous’. He feels that both the players are on almost same level and the match was decided by small margins.
“I don’t think Carlos has an edge on Novak, I think both players are very close in terms of level. I think Novak can play much better than he did in the Wimbledon final. I think he was very nervous.”
The Wimbledon final was indeed a very close match, decided by the barest of margins. Alcaraz won 168 total points while Djokovic won 166. With finals being decided by 2 points, it is hard to argue against Mouratoglou’s theory that Alcaraz and Djokovic will still compete for the highest honors in tennis.
