Novak Djokovic’s win over Jannik Sinner in the 2026 Australian Open semifinal caught the attention of the entire tennis world, including respected coach Patrick Mouratoglou. It marked a significant moment, given the age difference between the two tennis players and the recent dominance of Sinner and World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz.
However, the win also sparked debate over whether the ‘Big Three’ or, more specifically, Djokovic, is a better tennis player than Sinner, a question Mouratoglou finally answered.
Patrick Mouratoglou Explains 1 Aspect that Led to Novak Djokovic’s Win Over Jannik Sinner
Djokovic defied all the odds on Friday, January 30, when he beat the two-time defending champion and one of the most dominant forces on the Australian hard courts, Sinner 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 in four hours and 12 minutes. No one had ever imagined that the 38-year-old Serbian legend would overcome the massive challenge of beating the Italian in 2026, that too in the semifinal of the Australian Open.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion struggled physically throughout the match but outlasted the Italian on one front, as highlighted by the renowned coach, Mouratoglou.
MORE: Novak Djokovic Refuses To Attribute Australian Open Final Defeat to Physical Issues
“For those who think that Djokovic beating Sinner in the semifinal of the Australian Open means that the big three is playing better tennis than Alcaraz and Sinner, this is a very short view. Let me explain,” the Frenchman stated in his latest Instagram reel, explaining the circumstances surrounding the win.
“First of all, you take one match, and you make a rule out of it. Just remember that Sinner had won the five previous matches they played against each other. Just one match will not make me change my mind about what I’ve seen for the last two-three years. Jannik moves faster, hits harder, takes the ball earlier, and serves better than Novak,” he said, which was also acknowledged by the Serbian legend himself during his post-match speech.
View this post on Instagram
He said that Sinner had his phone number in the last few meetings, so he had to change his number to face him this time. Starting from the semifinal of the 2023 Davis Cup Finals up until the 2025 Wimbledon semifinal, Sinner had bested Djokovic five times consecutively, including Djokovic’s first loss at the Australian Open since 2018 in 2024’s semifinal.
Mouratoglou continued, revealing the most important factor that led to Djokovic’s win, saying, “But Novak is the strongest mental in tennis in the history, and that’s what made the difference, that’s what made his whole career.” He added technical aspects in his review before concluding, “Sinner won 12 more points throughout the whole match than Novak, but he lost because Novak won the big ones, the ones that counted the most. Novak is not a better tennis player than Sinner, but is the biggest competitor in the history, and he was better than Jannik in that match.”
What Mourtaoglou said in his conversation perfectly summed up the second semifinal on the Rod Laver Arena on Friday. Sinner won more points than Djokovic, playing better than the Serbian; however, Djokovic won more important points than Sinner, playing smarter than the Italian.
While the new era of SinCaraz might dominate the Grand Slams now, Djokovic still has a better mental game than both of them, which could turn the tables around in his favour on any day. After beating Sinner in a match that lasted over four hours, the Serbian legend was already worn out before facing the World No. 1 Alcaraz and thus had no answers for the dominant play of the six-time Grand Slam champion.
By losing in the finals of the Australian Open, Djokovic lost another chance of winning his 25th major title, which was the closest he came since the 2024 Wimbledon final, where he had lost to Alcaraz, marking his second consecutive loss against the Spaniard in the championship match of the grass court Grand Slam.
