Novak Djokovic had almost accomplished his 25th major title this year by beating the two-time defending champion and the Australian hard-court specialist Jannik Sinner in the 2026 Australian Open semifinal. However, he couldn’t close out the deal in the final against the World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz, who made it past the quarterfinals for the first time at Melbourne Park.
Now, just days after the defeat, respected coach Patrick Mouratoglou took to social media to address the one thing that stopped Djokovic from creating history at this year’s first Grand Slam.
Patrick Mouratoglou Reveals Why Novak Djokovic Can’t Win Another Grand Slam
Following the final on Sunday, February 1, which Alcaraz won by defeating Djokovic 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 7-5, he became the youngest male player ever to complete a Career Grand Slam, surpassing Don Budge’s record by 91 days.
He also surpassed Rafael Nadal’s Open Era record by about 1.5 years. Djokovic, on the other hand, appeared in a Grand Slam final record 38th time, chasing the 25th major title following his 2023 US Open win.
He defied all odds in the semifinal, beating Sinner 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, who has been one of the most dominant players on hard courts for the last two years. However, after the gruelling 4 hours and 12 minutes encounter, Djokovic was unable to fully recover and had no answers to Alcaraz’s dominance.
Analysing the Serbian legend’s loss, the respected coach Mouratoglou said, “The only obstacle that prevents Novak from winning Grand Slams is his motivation. I don’t think he’s motivated enough for the 25th; otherwise, I think he would have done it.”
Giving reference for his assessment, the Frenchman said in his Instagram reel:
“He was crazy motivated for the Olympic Games, he made the gold medal, and he beat Alcaraz in the final. He’s done everything to achieve his goals all his life. He wanted to be the best of all time; he’s undoubtedly the best of all time. Nobody anytime soon will beat this record. Every time he went to a Grand Slam, he was ready to win. Now, he’s not, so he doesn’t expect to go all the way.”
Calling Djokovic the ‘strongest mental in the game,’ Mouratoglou added, “Why? Not the age, not the level of tennis, because he’s fit. If he practices and prepares, he can play. Of course, he doesn’t recover as well as before, but he can make the matches easy until at least the quarters or the semis and win.”
He then gave the reason for his assessment, saying, “Novak is the strongest mental in the history. If he wants something, even if the level is here and his is here, he’s gonna match it, he’s gonna find a way. He’s gonna take the most important points of the match, then he’s gonna win.”
Again, talking about the lack of motivation, he said, “It’s only about motivation. He knows it better than anyone. He has all the keys; we don’t.” Mouratoglou then mentioned that he is not trying to surpass Margaret Court’s record of 24 Grand Slams.
Adding to it, he said, “Does he want a beat a woman’s record that was scored in the previous century? I mean, come on. We all know that it’s not something you want to beat because tennis was not professional. All the players were amateurs. How can you compare that with what happened since tennis became a professional sport? You can’t. I don’t think he’s motivated by that record; otherwise, again, he would have made it.”
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The confidence in the Frenchman’s voice was enough to prove that he actually thinks that the Serbian legend can win another major despite his age. After the conclusion of the Australian Open, Djokovic re-entered the ATP Top-3, dethroning Alexander Zverev from the spot.
He remains the only player over 35 on the Top-50 list, with the second-oldest player being Grigor Dimitrov at 34. This just shows the longevity of the ‘Greatest of All Time’, who is in his 757th week in the Top-3, entering the elite trio for the first time since 2024.
Another Lost Opportunity for Djokovic
The 2026 Australian Open final also marked the closest Djokovic has come to achieving his 25th major after the 2024 Wimbledon final, where he lost to Alcaraz in straight sets. It is going to be a mammoth task for him to take on the top two players in the world right now, given that he is most likely to meet them consecutively.
In another of his recent reels, Mouratoglou discussed how Djokovic’s win over Sinner sparked debate over whether he is the better tennis player than Alcaraz and Sinner.
He talked about the statistical records between the two professionals, noting that before this, Sinner had beaten him five times in a row, so making a rule based on just 1 match isn’t fair. In that reel, he had already called Djokovic the greatest mental in tennis history, which made his career.
Djokovic might win fewer points in a match, but he is known for winning the important ones; his opponent might play better tennis, but he is known for playing smarter, making him one of the greatest players ever to pick up a tennis racket.
