French tennis coach Patrick Mourtaglou has said that Novak Djokovic’s motivation to still be at the top of the world and the drive that made him the greatest of all time are broken, adding that it faded
after arch-rivals Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal retired from the sport.
In a recent Instagram clip, Mouratoglou lauded Djokovic’s brilliant achievements but questioned the latter’s current motivation to chase the biggest titles in men’s tennis.
Djokovic lost in the semifinals of the US Open to Carlos Alcaraz, in the semifinals of Wimbledon and the French Open to Jannik Sinner, with the youngsters constantly proving to be his nemesis.
“He (Djokovic) achieved everything. So I feel that something broke the motivation, the drive that made him the greatest of all time. He isn’t here anymore. How long is he going to stay in that position? I don’t think long,” Mourtaglou said.
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Notably, despite a few title triumphs since the start of last season, Djokovic has still reached the later stages of multiple Majors.
“I think he still likes to be there because I think he probably wants to find a great connection with the fans, which he starts to have. It was difficult while Rafa and Roger were at the top, because they had such a strong connection that it was depriving him from having that position and that connection,” Mourtaglou said.
“Definitely, the drive does not look like what it was before. It is a different drive, but it isn’t a drive that brings the results that he could have before and it makes sense, and I understand, but he isn’t producing the results he used to have,” Mourtaglou added.
At this year’s US Open, Djokovic reached the semifinals, facing off against eventual champion Alcaraz.
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