Serena Williams’ former coach Patrick Mouratoglou recently analyzed Novak Djokovic’s loss to Jannik Sinner in the 2024 Australian Open semifinals. Despite the defeat, Mouratoglou believes the Serbian will win two or three Grand Slams this year.
Djokovic suffered a disastrous defeat in the Melbourne Grand Slam semifinals, losing to eventual champion Sinner 6-1, 6-2, 6-7(6), 6-3. The defeat denied the world number one his 11th Australian Open title and ended his 33-match winning streak at Melbourne Park.
After Novak Djokovic’s defeat, Patrick Mouratoglou took to social media to say the semi-final was one of the Serbian’s “worst” performances ever. Mouratoglou also claimed that the 24-time Grand Slam champion may have felt relieved after the loss as the burden of anticipation weighed heavily on his shoulders.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if Novak felt relieved after that game. He didn’t realize how heavy the burden was on his shoulders.” Mouratoglou said. “So it was shocking to see Novak so unavailable in a Grand Slam semifinal. Djokovic played one of the worst games I think he’s ever played. He wasn’t there. That day. He’s definitely not on the field.”
The Frenchman claimed that Janik Sinner was able to defeat the world number one because he believed in his ability to win. He emphasized that Sinner’s confidence stems from his recent wins over Djokovic; one at the ATP Finals and the other at the Davis Cup.
“I think one of the keys is that at the end of last season Sinner beat him twice and the last one was the most painful because we know how important the Davis Cup is to Novak. It was probably the first against Sinner To explain being able to have such a great match and Djokovic not being able to play that match,” he said.
Patrick Mouratoglou also expressed confidence that Novak Djokovic will win two or three Grand Slam titles this year.
“Now he’s probably too disappointed, but a few days later it’s like, ‘Wow, they’re so heavy. I’m back to the normal pressure, the pressure that I’m used to, the pressure of being the first and greatest player.’ But that’s it. That’s why I have so many feelings for him. I still think Novak will win two or three Grand Slams this year,” Mouratoglou concluded.
Novak Djokovic on Australian Open SF loss to Jannik Sinner: ‘Shocked by my level, in a bad way’
Novak Djokovic expressed dissatisfaction with his performance after losing to Jannik Sinner in the 2024 Australian Open semi-finals, calling it one of the “worst” Grand Slam matches he has ever played .
The Serbian admitted he was unhappy with his performance in the match but admitted Sinner was superior to him in every aspect.
“In a way, I was shocked at my level, and a bad shock,” he said in his post-match press conference. “I didn’t do a lot right in the first two sets. I think it was one of the worst Grand Slam matches I’ve ever played. At least I remember. It didn’t feel good to play like that. But at the same time , he’s better than me in every aspect of the game, and that’s all a credit to him.”
“In this game, I didn’t feel real on the court. I can say that the semi-final was a great result, but I always have the highest expectations of myself and this should not have been today,” he added.