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Serena Williams' former coach Patrick Mouratoglou has backed Novak Djokovic to win the gold medal at the Paris Olympics in 2024. The Frenchman worked with Williams from 2012 to 2022, under whose guidance, she won 10 Grand Slam titles.
Mouratoglou recently affirmed that Djokovic will compete in the 2024 season with the same passion as the previous year. The Serb capped off his 2023 season with three Grand Slam titles and a triumph at the Year-end championships. He also became the first tennis player to win 24 Major trophies in the Open Era.
"I think Novak in 2024 will be as hungry as he was in 2023. He has a huge goal. He wants to establish a record of Grand Slams which will probably never ever be beaten in the history and he’s in a position to do it. He’s 36, he has 24 Grand Slams already… the record, he’s fresh physically and mentally," Mouratoglou said.
Mouratoglou's comments came after the Serb expressed his wish to secure the Calendar Slam i.e., win all four Grand Slam tournaments in a calendar year, and a gold medal at the Paris Olympics in 2024.
He showed faith in the Serb's words, saying:
"He said that why not win the four Grand Slams next year… maybe it sounds crazy but he won three this year plus one final. He was one match away [at Wimbledon] from winning the four. So, he can think about it and of course the Olympic gold. That’s the only title that he’s missing and he wants it. Can he do it? Yes, he can do it."
Serena Williams' ex-coach Patrick Mouratoglou believes Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, and Holger Rune are dangerous for Novak Djokovic
Serena Williams' former coach further named Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, and Holger Rune as the players who can potentially stop Novak Djokovic in the 2024 season.
Mouratoglou warned that the Serb might not achieve his goals of winning the Calendar Slam and Olympic gold, saying:
"There will be of course reasons not to do it. He [Djokovic] can get injured and he can be beaten because he’s not unbeatable. He’s been beaten in the final of Wimbledon by [Carlos] Alcaraz. He lost to [Jannik] Sinner. He lost to Holger Rune. Those guys are dangerous and they are the dangers for him."
Both Alcaraz and Rune registered one victory each over Djokovic in 2023. Alcaraz downed him in the final of the Wimbledon Championships in July whereas the Dane defeated him at the Italian Open in May.
Sinner went one step ahead of the other two and downed Djokovic twice in 2023. The Italian first defeated him in a round-robin encounter and later outperformed him at the Davis Cup.
However, the coach backed the 24-time Grand Slam champion to dominate the men's circuit, saying:
"But for the moment, he’s still above and on the big moments, when it’s very important, when it’s the big matches, the ones that count the most, his mental strength makes the difference."
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