Serena Williams’ ex-coach Patrick Mouratoglou has listed three reasons why he has always believed that Novak Djokovic is “better than others.” This year, 36-year-old Djokovic made the finals in all four Grand Slams and also became the sole owner of the all-time Grand Slam record for the first time in his career.
After winning three Grand Slams in 2023, Djokovic became the first-ever male player with 24 Slams. Rafael Nadal is the second on the list with 22 Grand Slams, while Roger Federer finished his career with 20 Slams. It took Djokovic a long time to become the sole owner of the all-time Grand Slam record but it came at the perfect moment for the Serb as the Slam race seems to be over since Nadal is very likely retiring next year.
Mouratoglou on why Djokovic ‘has always been better than others’
“I said that Djokovic would probably be the record holder of a number of grand slams when he had 12 or 13. I thought so for several reasons. First of all, he was dominant already.
At that time, he was better than Roger and Rafa. Of course, Rafa was always better on clay, but on all the other surfaces, he was superior. Also, he was still young and I knew that his body was in perfect shape. He’s just for me, the perfect athlete for tennis.
And third, I would say, his mindset. He is really someone who wants to dominate. The fact that there were so many fans for the two others and less for him that he was not as liked as the two others, I felt that this created in him the will to take revenge,” Mouratogllou said in a video uploaded on his Instagram.