Serena Williams' ex-coach Patrick Mouratoglou names his GOAT pick from Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal & Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer dominated the men’s game for the last two decades and each of them has the credentials to stake a claim for the G.O.A.T. (Greatest of All Time) title. Fellow legend Serena Williams’ former coach Patrick Mouratoglou, however, would like to give an edge to one in this debate.
Mouratoglou, in a recent interview with Talking Tennis, said while all three players were unique in their own right, he would pick Djokovic as the greatest if it came down to it.
The Frenchman recalled predicting the Serb’s success, saying he believed that Djokovic would go on to become the greatest tennis player of all time when the latter held 15 Grand Slam titles. Notably, the Serb, once deadlocked with Nadal and Federer at 20 Slam titles, now has 24 Grand Slam titles to his name, the most by a male player.
Mouratoglou said (via tennis365.com),
“I think they are all, the three are so unique. Any of the three I would have liked for sure; if I had to pick one I would I pick Novak.
“I said this several years ago, ‘I think he’s gonna become the greatest’, when he had only 15 Grand Slams. I mean only, sorry it’s a lot, but compared to what he has now."
Mouratoglou also said he would jump at an opportunity to work with any of the three, before reiterating Djokovic’s greatness, saying his motivation was what set him apart from the other two.
“They are the three best players of all time, so to work with one of them is something so special, but if I had to pick one, I would pick Novak because I always thought he would become the greatest. First because he would play longer, his body is healthier than the two others’ body. And I feel that his motivation to become the greatest was so huge.
"It has to be with achievements" - Patrick Mouratoglou on picking Novak Djokovic over Roger Federer & Rafael Nadal
Further reasoning about his pick, Patrick Mouratoglou said one has to look at figures and numbers when it comes to picking the greatest. That’s one area, he said, where Novak Djokovic had surpassed Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.
The Frenchman said he did not necessarily believe that the Serb was better than the other two when it comes to their tennis, but his achievements had helped him surpass them.
“And if you looked at how many Grand Slams per year he {Djokovic] was winning, I thought at some point he was gonna become the greatest, and he did it. I’m not saying he’s playing better than the others, I don’t want to be offensive to the others when I say that. But at some point, to name someone the greatest, it has to be with achievements. And in terms of achievements, he’s the greatest."
Federer ended his career with 20 Grand Slam titles to his name, while Nadal, who has 22 trophies, will hang up his tennis racket after the Davis Cup Finals next month.