Patrick Mouratoglou thinks Andy Murray could possibly “challenge” Novak Djokovic in a method that it helps the Serb discover a new supply of motivation however Naomi Osaka’s coach additionally highlights that he believes beating Jannik Sinner will probably be a serious problem for the 37-year-old going ahead.
When the file 10-time Australian Open champion bought dominated by the Italian on this 12 months’s semifinal at Melbourne Park, some puzzled if that signaled the change of the guard in males’s tennis. Then, the 23-year-old went on to win the Australian Open and US Open, whereas the Spanard made all of it the best way on the French Open and Wimbledon.
Sinner and Alcaraz’s domination left Djokovic with no Grand Slam title in a single season since 2017. And heading into the 2025 season, he’s not anymore thought of the person to beat in Slams. However he additionally has a brand new face in his field and evidently desires to attempt to do some issues in another way subsequent 12 months.
“Is Andy the right person to motivate him? I would say yes and no. I would say no because I don’t think he has that personality, he’s very quiet, but he’s very smart, and I think he’ll have good ideas on how to challenge Novak so that he finds a new form of motivation,” Mouratoglou stated on Tennis Majors’ Eye of the Coach.
Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic© YouTube screenshot
Mouratoglou explains why Sinner could also be more durable to beat for Djokovic than Alcaraz
After beating the Serb twice in late 2023, the present world No. 1 additionally gained their Australian Open and Shanghai Masters last conferences. Additionally, the Italian earned a straight-set win over the world No. 7 on the Six Kings Slam – a star-studded exhibition the place gamers went with full depth as a result of a historic prize cash was at stake.
In terms of his clashes in opposition to Alcaraz in 2024, Djokovic suffered a straight-set defeat within the Wimbledon last but additionally managed to beat the Spaniard in a really tight two-set Paris Olympics last.
Heading into 2025, Mouratoglou would not suppose beating these will get any simpler. Nevertheless, he additionally believes that the 23-year-old Italian is a tougher matchup.
“The challenge is huge because the level of Alcaraz and Sinner is impressive. It might be harder for Novak to beat Jannik than Carlos, because Jannik doesn’t give anything away. Sinner has the same skills as Novak, he covers the court very well, he doesn’t miss anything and he takes the ball earlier than Novak. So Novak will have to get back into incredible shape to dominate Jannik. I’m not saying it’s easy to beat Carlos, it’s not,” the French coach defined.
Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic© YouTube screenshot
Djokovic admitted at one level that he wasn’t at Sinner and Alcaraz’s ranges
Between 2019 and 2022, the 37-year-old gained three consecutive Wimbledon titles – The Championships did not happen in 2020 due to the pandemic. In 2023, he got here a win away from finishing a four-peat however then misplaced to Alcaraz in a five-set last. This 12 months, Djokovic once more fell simply wanting profitable Wimbledon after the third-ranked Spaniard crushed him 6-2 6-2 7-6 (4) within the last.
Chatting with reporters post-final, the file 24-time Slam winner admitted that Sinner and the 21-year-old Spaniard had been higher than him in the mean time.
“Having the ability to attain the ultimate of Wimbledon provides an excellent confidence increase. However I additionally really feel like in a matchup at the moment in opposition to the perfect participant on the earth proper now for positive, aside from Jannik, each of them are the perfect this 12 months by far… I really feel like I’m not at that stage. So as to actually have an opportunity to beat these guys within the Grand Slam latter levels or Olympics, I’m gonna need to play a lot better than I did at the moment and really feel a lot better than I did at the moment. It’s not one thing I haven’t skilled earlier than in my life.. within the face of adversity, usually I rise, study, & get stronger. That’s what I’m going to do,” Djokovic said after the Wimbledon final.
Novak Djokovic says he is not at Carlos Alcaraz & Jannik Sinner’s level this year, ‘To have a chance to beat these guys in latter stages of Grand Slams or Olympics, I’m gonna have to play much better than I did today’
“Being able to reach the final of Wimbledon gives a great… pic.twitter.com/WobWRCaVrT
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) July 14, 2024
A few weeks later, the Serb bounced by by beating Alcaraz in the Olympic final but he also lost to Sinner in Shanghai in October.
For Djokovic, figuring out a better way to compete against the Italian and the Spaniard will probably be the key to success in 2025.
