Patrick Mouratoglou recently claimed John McEnroe made tennis enjoyable by openly displaying emotions, which Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal apparently did not do. This is not the first instance of the renowned coach downplaying the two legends to hype another player.
McEnroe was known for his mercurial nature on the court, wearing his heart on his sleeve. His high-octane rivalries with Jimmy Connors and Bjorn Borg drew large crowds.
Speaking to Italian media (via Essentially Sports), Patrick Mouratoglou said the players’ moods rub off on the audience. Hence, mavericks like John McEnroe or Marat Safin were widely loved and appreciated for being open with their emotions. The Frenchman said Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal may be the greatest players but did not convey emotions like them.
“Also because the players experience different sensations during the same match and the public feels it. All this is very beautiful. Let’s take McEnroe, one of the biggest stars, or Safin, who was much loved. I’m not talking about Roger and Rafa, they are the greatest of all time, and they are different. But the beauty of tennis is to convey emotions.”
Mouratoglou has made a habit of comparing a player with Federer or Nadal, frequently receiving criticism for the same. He has often praised certain aspects of Novak Djokovic over Fedal, perhaps the only understandable example of weighing someone against the two icons.
However, he has often surprised fans by hyping up a player by putting them in the same league. A couple of years ago, Mouratoglou named four players to build the ‘Ultimate GOAT’ tennis player.
While the Big 3 were natural choices, the fourth pick of Nick Kyrgios took many aback. He included the Aussie in the best serve category (Tennis Infinity).
He also angered Nadal’s fans when he said the 22-time Grand Slam champion was a clay player but Carlos Alcaraz was an all-court athlete (Tennis365). Similarly, he drew the ire of Federer fans when he ranked Fernando Gonzalez’s forehand above the Swiss star’s.
Patrick Mouratoglou need not use Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal for wider reach
Neither Federer nor Nadal have ever directly spoken about Mouratoglou. The latter, in fact, is also a business rival to Serena Williams’ former coach.
They operate the two best tennis academies in Europe. Regardless, they have never interacted directly and neither have the two legends talked about the coach.
Patrick Mouratoglou is always in the news, for good or bad. Over the last few weeks, he has been making headlines for being involved in Simona Halep’s doping case. Additionally, he also got back with Holger Rune.
Hence, for a man with such ability to grab the spotlight, he does not need to resort to using Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal’s names. It is not difficult to praise a player or a certain element of their gameplay without drawing parallels to the duo.
However, one can argue his claims are not completely baseless and he is entitled to his opinion, especially since he often provides a reasoning behind his statements. Regardless, he remains one of the most polarising figures in tennis.
