Patrick Mouratoglou compares Novak Djokovic's motivation struggles to Serena Williams' mindset after chasing Grand Slam records

Serena Williams' ex-coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, drew parallels between the American legend and Novak Djokovic. Mouratoglou believes the Serb's 'big struggle' now is motivation, having surpassed rivals Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal and earning the most Grand Slam titles in the Open Era.

While speaking to the Tennis Channel recently, Mouratoglou recalled a conversation he had with Williams just before the 2015 US Open, when she was on the verge of matching Steffi Graf’s Grand Slam record (22). Her words revealed how driven she was by big goals (from 6:50):

"It's funny because I remember—I mean, two months or one month before the US Open, when she would—if she would have won it, by the way, uh, tie Steffi Graf at that time—she said to me, "Okay, so what's next? Because once I do that, what am I going to do?"

Further, he explained that the American's motivation came from always having something to strive for. The idea of chasing goals kept her going:

"So, she was always chasing something. For her, it was very important; she always had something in mind, a big goal in mind that was motivating her. Because yeah, of course, difficult to imagine how it feels to win so many Grand Slams, but I guess the motivation at some point is tough."

Mouratoglou then compared Serena Williams' situation to Novak Djokovic today, saying that his current challenge isn’t physical or technical, it’s about purpose.

"We see it with Novak now—that's his big struggle. The guy, it's not about his tennis, it's just about him being—it's very obvious when he plays matches, and probably when he practices. Yeah, what's his goal now that he found out to win more Slams than his two big rivals, which were Roger and Rafa," the French coach said.

---

Serena Williams' ex-coach Patrick Mouratoglou asserts Novak Djokovic is the greatest among the 'Big 3'

Patrick Mouratoglou and Serena Williams at the French Open 2021 - Source: Getty

Serena Williams' ex-coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, recently spoke to Eurosport France and asserted that Novak Djokovic is the greatest among tennis's 'Big 3', including the Serb, Roger Federer, and Rafael Nadal.

"When you look at the three greatest, whether it pleases you or not, there is one of the three who is the greatest of all," assessed the Frenchman. "He was world number one the longest, he won the most Grand Slams, the most Masters 1000, he beats them everywhere. It’s Novak."

The 'Big 3' dominated the ATP Tour for almost two decades before Federer retired in 2022 with 20 Grand Slam titles, and Nadal retired last year in November with 22 Majors. Djokovic, at the age of 37, continues to grind on the tour with 24 Grand Slam titles to his name.

This season, the Serb's notable performances include reaching the semifinal of the Australian Open and the final of the Miami Open. He is still chasing his 100th Tour-level title and his 25th Grand Slam title.