Few players in the tennis world possess better technique or skillset than Novak Djokovic. With 24 singles Grand Slam titles under his belt, some even consider him superior to Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. Despite being one of the most complete players to ever grace the tennis court, renowned coach Patrick Mouratoglou spoke about the one aspect of Djokovic’s game he would change if given the opportunity to coach him.
While speaking with ‘Talking Tennis,’ the French coach was asked which player among the ‘Big Three’ — Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic — he would have liked to train. Surprisingly, Mouratoglou chose Novak.
Elaborating on his choice, he explained that Djokovic’s fitness and high level of motivation were the reasons behind picking him.
“First because he would play longer. His body is healthier than the two others’ bodies. I feel that his motivation to become the greatest was so huge and if you look at how many Grand Slams he was winning, I thought at some point he’s gonna become the greatest and he did it,” reasoned Mouratglou.
Having analyzed some of the greatest tennis players in his lifetime, Serena Williams’ ex-coach is well aware of their weaknesses. When asked what he would improve in Djokovic’s game, Mouratoglou had his answer ready. Despite labeling him the “greatest of all time,” the famous tennis coach believed the Serb was sometimes not “aggressive enough.”
“What I think he could have done better, which is tough to say because he is the greatest of all time. I feel sometimes he is not aggressive enough in his game. He’s probably the guy who covered the court in the best possible way,” answered the French coach.
@pmouratoglou spoke to Talking Tennis about which of the big three – Nadal, Djokovic, Federer – he would most like to have coached, why he would make that choice, and what he might have brought to the table.
Full interview will be up on our @YouTube channel shortly, where he… pic.twitter.com/J9NskbzW53
— Talking Tennis (@TalkingTennisTT) October 17, 2024
In some ways, Mouratoglou’s assessment of Djokovic is accurate since he is not as aggressive as the likes of Nadal. However, the Belgrade native can step up and take his game to another level when the situation demands, something not many players can do.
Former coach opens up about the stressful experience of coaching Djokovic
While Djokovic’s motivation to become one of the greatest players in tennis history drives him to push his limits, it can also be stressful for his coaching staff.
His former coach, Goran Ivanisevic, had recently shed light on working with the tennis legend. He explained that the Serb can sometimes keep the coaches stressed if things aren’t going in the right direction for him.
“He’s not an easy guy, let’s put it this way. Especially when something’s not going his way. He keeps you stressed, the stress level is always high. It never goes down. But every day you learn something,” accepted Ivanisevic.
Hence, it’s safe to say that coaching Novak is as big a challenge as facing him on the court. However, one can only speculate how things might have turned out if Mouratoglou had partnered with Djokovic.
With the Serb achieving everything possible in the sport, effectively “completing” tennis, it is unclear how much more Mouratoglou could have helped him get better.
