Famous tennis coach Patrick Mouratoglou tipped Novak Djokovic to win 30 Grand Slam titles before retiring. Replying to a comment on his Instagram post, he said the Serb could hit the 30 Majors milestone after lifting his 24th at the 2023 US Open. Despite his advancing years, Djokovic looks fit as a fiddle and will be raring to go for the historical mark.
It will not be an easy task, though. Djokovic will be 37 next year, and combined with the rise of Carlos Alcaraz, he will face some tough challenges. Although he has stayed clear so far, fitness issues rapidly catch up as an athlete ages. Djokovic will be wary of previous players who declined faster as they aged and would want to avoid a similar fate.
Mouratoglou tips Novak Djokovic to reach historic number of GS titles
Aged 36, Novak Djokovic showed no signs of slowing down in 2023. He reached the finals of all four Grand Slams, losing only at Wimbledon to Alcaraz. For the fourth time in his career, he ended the Slam season with three Majors titles, falling one short of a Calendar Slam. With his win at Flushing Meadows, he went two clear of Nadal on the list of most men’s singles Grand Slam titles with 24.
Mouratoglou posted a video of him analyzing Djokovic’s US Open final win. A user commented, asking how many Grand Slams will the Serb win before retiring. This has become a much-asked question. Serena Williams‘ former coach replied that Djokovic could probably breach the 30 GS titles milestone which no singles player has ever touched before.
This is not the first time Mouratoglou has spoken highly of Djokovic. The coach is evidently a fan of the Serb. While he would have had his reasons to peg the World No.1 to achieve 30 Grand Slam titles, some bias may have crept in.
Djokovic fan Mouratoglou isn’t alone
Mouratoglou has consistently waxed lyrical about Djokovic, choosing him as the GOAT. With the Alcaraz-Djokovic rivalry seemingly heating up, the French coach has had his say on that as well. He said the Serb is the best player and will go on to be the GOAT.
He admitted that while Alcaraz is a more complete tennis player, Djokovic remains at the top as the best player. According to Mouratoglou, the Spaniard will not be able to prevent the No. 1 from winning more Slams.
Djokovic missed out on participating at the Australian Open and the US Open in 2022 due to his anti-vaccination stance. Given hard court is his favorite surface, one might say he would have won at least one, if not both, of those tournaments.
The consensus seems to be that Djokovic will not slow down and keep winning Slams. Former player Tim Henman believed he would win plenty more Majors titles. Djokovic will back himself up to hit that historic 30 Grand Slam titles mark.
