Novak Djokovic has been backed to continue playing for another “three or four years” with top coach Patrick Mouratoglou saying he has found his motivation again after his “ego was touched” by Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz’s brilliance.
After a record-breaking 2023 season during which he won three more Grand Slams to take his tally to 24, Djokovic made a lacklustre start to the 2024 campaign as he failed to win a title in the first seven months of the season.
The Serbian had to wait until Wimbledon to reach his first final of the season, but he lost against Alcaraz again at the grass-court Grand Slam and it raised questions about his hopes of picking up a medal at the Paris Olympics.
But he shut his critics up in the best possible fashion as he won gold at the 2024 Games, defeating Alcaraz in straight sets in the final to become the first man to win an Olympic singles title without dropping a set.
An Olympic gold medal was the only piece of silverware missing from Djokovic’s CV and now that he has completed his collection, many are wondering if he will have the desire to continue playing.
Mouratoglou – who has coached the likes of Serena Williams, Simona Halep and Stefanos Tsitsipas – says the 37-year-old initially lost motivation as his biggest rival Rafael Nadal was no longer there to push him.
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“I think that Novak can still play three or four years at the highest level. The real question is about his motivation. I think he really struggled with motivation until the Olympics,” the Frenchman said on social media.
“Everybody felt like it was the end for Rafa. Novak felt it too, for sure it hit his motivation really hard, but after that Rafa came back on clay, his level and I think this gave extra motivation to Novak.”
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Djokovic’s ego was then “touched” by young guns Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz as the pair won the first three Grand Slams of the year.
Mouratoglou added: “Sinner started to play great, Alcaraz again [played great]. I think it touched his ego and he came back really strong and finally won the title that he was chasing all of his career, which was the gold medal at the Olympics to complete his collection of trophies.
“So what is going to happen now in the future?
“He’s in great shape, he plays unbelievable tennis. He is ready to compete I think [for another] two, three, four years at the highest level.
“But he needed this competition between him and Roger and Rafa to be the greatest. The only confrontation now is probably Carlos and Jannik pushing him, beating him, him feeling his ego touched and wanting to show that he is still great.”