A few days ago, renowned tennis coach Patrick Mouratoglou became embroiled in controversy due to comments he made about Novak Djokovic, which drew backlash from the tennis community. In light of this, Serena Williams’ former coach, Rick Macci, recently expressed his thoughts on the Frenchman’s remarks.
Rick Macci Makes His Feelings Known on Patrick Mouratoglou’s ‘Silly Dig’ at Novak Djokovic
During the recently concluded Australian Open, Djokovic finished as the runner-up to Carlos Alcaraz, having advanced to the championship match by defeating Jannik Sinner in the semifinals.
Speaking about Djokovic’s win over two-time defending champion Sinner in the semifinals of the Melbourne Major, Mouratoglou commented that it is a “very short view” to think that the “big three,” that is, Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer, played better tennis than Alcaraz and Sinner simply because of the outcome of that match.
“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,” Mouratoglou said.
These remarks drew criticism within the tennis community, and Macci responded by calling Mouratoglou’s comments a “silly dig” at Djokovic. He suggested that the Frenchman made these statements to draw attention to himself rather than the Serb.
“Was asked about Mouratoglou latest silly dig that Novak is Not motivated enough to win another Slam and he only wants people to talk about Him. Half right but Wrong Person. He is Unreal Motivated to win another slam and Patrick wants people to talk about Him. @DjokerNole,” Macci posted on X (formerly known as Twitter).
On his way to the final of the 2026 Australian Open, Djokovic defeated Pedro Martínez, Francesco Maestrelli, Botic van de Zandschulp, and Jakub Menšík in the first four rounds, respectively. He then overcame Lorenzo Musetti in the quarterfinals before facing Sinner in the semifinals.
Where Will Djokovic Compete Next?
Looking ahead, Djokovic is expected to compete at the 2026 Qatar Open, scheduled for Feb. 16 to 21, 2026. The tournament will take place on outdoor hard courts at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex in Doha, Qatar.
In addition to the 24-time Grand Slam singles champion, other players who are expected to participate in this ATP 500 hard-court tournament include Alcaraz, Sinner, defending champion Andrey Rublev, Alexander Bublik, Daniil Medvedev, and Stefanos Tsitsipas, among others.
Last year, Djokovic was seeded third at the Qatar Open, but his run was short-lived as he lost in the first round to Matteo Berrettini with a scoreline of 6-7, 2-6. The Serb has won the Qatar Open title twice before: in 2016, he defeated Nadal in the final, and in 2017, he successfully defended his title by triumphing over Andy Murray in the championship match.
