Elite coach reveals why Novak Djokovic was always destined to win the GOAT race

Novak Djokovic appears to have ended the debate over who will be marked down in history as the greatest player of all time, yet that reality was inevitable according to top coach Patrick Mouratoglou.

The Serbian great moved his Grand Slam total to 24 with a stunning victory at last month’s US Open, edging him two clear of Rafael Nadal and four ahead of Roger Federer on the all-time list of major winners.

At the age of 36, Djokovic is showing no sign of slowing down and Mouratoglou, who worked with Serena Williams during some of his greatest moments, suggests he always expected Djokovic to win the race to be hailed as the tennis GOAT.

“I said that Djokovic would probably be the record holder of the number of Grand Slams when he had 12 or 13,” began Mouratoglou in an Instagram post.

“I thought so for several reasons. First of all, he was dominant already.

“At that time, he was better than Roger and Rafa. Of course, Rafa was always better on clay, but on all the other surfaces, he was superior.

“Also, he was still young and I knew that his body was in perfect shape and ready to last much more than Rafa, who had a game that was painful on the body.

“Novak had a game that was not so painful. He’s just for me, the perfect athlete for tennis.

“And third, I would say, his mindset. He is really someone who wants to dominate.

“The fact that there were so many fans for the two others and less for him that he was not as liked as the two others, I felt that this created in him the will to take revenge.

“The best answer to that is to be undoubtedly better than them in terms of achievements.”

The popularity debate is one that always agitates Djokovic’s fans, as they insist their man is more of a fans’ favourite than many believe.

Yet former Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli believes those sentiments are misplaced, as she told Tennis365 the fire Djokovic shows on court is fuelled by his desire to silence his critics.

“I just feel that Novak raises himself and is even stronger when he is against adversity. He likes to play and compete against it,” Bartoli told Tennis365.

“I think people just got used so much to two players facing each other. If you look at the history of tennis it was (Bjorn) Borg against (John) McEnroe, it was (Pete) Sampras against (Andre) Agassi and it was Roger (Federer) against (Rafa) Nadal. You are not used to having a third one.

“The third one feels like the disruptor. You want to cheer for one or the other. You say ‘I was to cheer for Roger’ or ‘I want to cheer for Rafa’. You don’t want the third one that comes in and wins everything.

“It was more the timing than anything else. When you talk to all the players and the fans around the world, people like Novak’s personality and they have so much respect for his game.

“But one was for Roger, the elegance, against Rafa the grinder, who has won 14 times at Roland Garros. But you can’t really go to the third one.

“If Novak had played just one other player, I think he would have had a much bigger fan base.

“So I think he has gained the respect from everyone, but in terms of the love, this is slightly different. It’s just human nature to cheer for one or the other and you don’t want the third one.”

Popularity contests are not as significant as the legend of sporting greatness and that is where Djokovic looks certain to win the race that will confirm he is marked down in history as the GOAT of tennis.

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