Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic were not loved since Day 1, says Serena Williams' ex-coach Patrick Mouratoglou

Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic, together referred to as the 'Big-3,' have dominated the ATP Tour for the last two decades. Many players have come and gone in this era, but none have managed to stay on top as consistently these three.

Next Gen stars like Alexander Zverev, Dominic Thiem, Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas broke into the top 10 but failed to stay as consistent as the Big-3. Now, another generation of 'Next Gen' stars has already arrived on tour, with Carlos Alcaraz, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Holger Rune, and others ready to take center stage and make their mark.

However, Serena Williams’ ex-coach believes that tennis fans should give the Next Gen some time and not dismiss them just yet. Patrick Mourtaoglou, who is currently a part of Rune’s coaching team, has been on the tennis scene for ages. After coaching Williams from 2012 to 2022, he became the coach of Simona Halep before moving on to train the Dane.

Responding to a fan's comment about how tennis isn't in a great spot at the moment because of the Big-3 nearing its end, Mouratoglou jumped to the Next Gen's defense, arguing that even Federer, Nadal and Djokovic needed some time to get into the hearts of fans around the globe.

"Give the next Gen some time. The big 3 haven’t been loved from day 1," Mouratoglou tweeted.

The 52-year-old coach believes that Netflix’s new docuseries ‘Break Point,’ created with modern day fans in mind, should help viewers get to know the players better. The series follows selected youngsters on both the ATP and WTA Tours and showcases their high and low points throughout the season.

"Break Point on Netflix should help know them better," Mouratoglou added.

GOAT race between Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal will really start in 2023, says Patrick Mouratoglou

Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic at the Sony Open

Patrick Mouratoglou also commented on the GOAT race between Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal heating up in 2023, predicting that this was the year where the debate would be settled for real.

Last year, the World No. 1 had to skip two Majors due to non-compliance with COVID-19 vaccination, missing the Australian Open and the US Open. This time around, the Serb has already secured the Melbourne title, equaling Nadal's tally of 22 Slams. With the US also reportedly set to allow unvaccinated travelers into the country soon, Mouratoglou reckons 2023 will be a landscape year for men's tennis.

"Novak Djokovic will be able to play the 4 GS in 2023. The GOAT race will really start," Mouratoglou said.