"Novak Djokovic wants to be on top of the world" - Serena Williams' ex-coach Patrick Mouratoglou lists reasons why the Serb won’t stop at 24 Slams
Serena Williams' former coach Patrick Mouratoglou recently listed out the reasons why he believes Novak Djokovic will eye more Grand Slam glory before hanging his racket up.
Djokovic recently became the first tennis player to win 24 Majors in the Open Era, overtaking Serena Williams' record of 23. He also equaled Margaret Court in the all-time tally of Grand Slam titles.
Speaking on an episode of "Eye of the Coach," Mouratoglou suggested that the Serb still wants to be the best in the world because he now has new competitors.
"He [Djokovic] wants to be the one on top of the world, on top of everyone. He wants to be the best. That’s what drove him. The fact that he’s now obviously the best with 24 titles, will not change it because he has competitors," Mouratoglou said. (via Tennis Majors)
The 36-year-old has developed new rivalries with the likes of Carlos Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev over the past few years. Alcaraz defeated him in the final of the Wimbledon Championships in July this year to signal the rise of a new lineage of champions in tennis. However, the Serb soon settled the accounts with the Spaniard in the final of the Cincinnati Masters.
Moreover, he defeated Medvedev in the summit clash of the 2023 US Open to avenge his loss in the 2021 US Open final. Mouratoglou highlighted his contests with Alcaraz and Medvedev, saying:
"He has Carlos Alcaraz who’s pushing him a lot, Medvedev who’s pushing him a lot, and maybe tomorrow others that are going to push him a lot and he still wants to be on top of the world. It's not something that he can accept to lose. So he’s going to fight for that."
Novak Djokovic is motivated to make a record that will remain unbroken, believes Patrick Mouratoglou
Patrick Mouratoglou further mentioned that Novak Djokovic is motivated to achieve numbers that can't be reached by any other tennis player in the future.
"He wants to make history. He wants to be the best undoubtedly of all time. And if he can make a record that will stay forever, that will never ever be beaten in the history, it’s enough to give him the utmost motivation and he has it," Mouratoglou said.
It took a tennis player 50 years to go level with Margaret Court in the all-time Grand Slam winners' list. Retired legends such as Serena Williams (23), Steffi Graf (22), and Roger Federer (20) failed to eclipse Court's record of 24 Major trophies in the past five decades.
Thus, 36-year-old Djokovic has a realistic chance of setting such a milestone that would be difficult to overrun in the coming few decades.