"At 36, Roger Federer was not able to win 3 Slams" - Serena Williams' ex-coach on what sets apart Novak Djokovic & Swiss legend

Patrick Mourtaglou reckons there's a big difference between Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic at the same age of 36 — consistency.

Even though the Frenchman admitted that Federer was a great player between 2017 and 2019, he feels that Federer was lacking the consistency Djokovic has now.

The Serb, at the age of 36, won three of the four Grand Slams in 2023, winning the Australian Open, French Open and US Open. He also reached the final at Wimbledon before falling to Carlos Alcaraz in five sets. He also won two Masters 1000 titles and the ATP Finals and ended the year as the World No. 1.

In 2017, a 36-year-old resurgent Federer won the Australian Open and Wimbledon but skipped the French Open. At the US Open, he made a quartefinal appearance.

In a recent interview with Tennis Majors, Patrick Mouratoglou said that the Novak Djokovic of today is just as fit as he was a decade ago — something that cannot be said of Federer.

“often hear that what Roger did between 2017 and 2019 is as good as what Novak is doing now, and that Roger was a better player in 2017, 2018, than before. But at 36, 37, Roger was not able to win three out of four Grand Slams and be consistent all year long and be really, one step above all the players. This didn’t happen."

“The difference is Novak, he’s physically as good today as he was when he was 26. That’s a huge difference. When you are at that level physically, you can be consistent all year long and beat all the best players in the world on a consistent basis. That’s a big difference," Mouratoglou said.

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Roger Federer was a better player in 2018 because of his backhand, feels Patrick Mouratoglou

Roger Federer

Patrick Mouratoglou opines that the main reason why Roger Federer experienced a renaissance in his later years was because of the change he made to his backhand.

The former Serena Williams coach pointed out that Federer started to take the ball earlier and return the ball flatter instead of his trademark sliced return, which helped make him a more formidable player.

"I think that Roger was a better player in a way in 2018 than he was before, actually for one main reason. His backhand.

"He took a major decision, and he started to take the ball much earlier on the backhand side, and to return flat, rather than return slice, systematically. That made a big difference," Patrick Mouratoglou said.