Novak Djokovic has ‘one big advantage’ over Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in GOAT battle
Novak Djokovic’s biggest weapon in his battles with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal was his relentless self-belief and confidence, according to coaching guru Patrick Mouratoglou.
When Djokovic burst onto the ATP Tour in his late teens, Federer and Nadal had already established a stronghold on the men’s game, as they were sweeping up the biggest titles in the sport and intimidating their rivals into submission even before a ball was struck.
Yet Djokovic arrived with a different attitude, as he believed he could find a way to beat the ‘Big 2’, even after he often came out second best in his early meetings with Federer and Nadal.
When Mouratoglou, who is the former coach of tennis great Serena Williams and current coach to four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka, looks back on the rise of Djokovic, he doesn’t recall a great match or a breakthrough moment on the court as his defining first memory.
Instead, he picks out an interview that took place before a meeting with Federer, as Djokovic displayed the mindset of a champion that was needed to overcome two of the sport’s all-time greats.
Speaking exclusively to Tennis365 as he releases a book entitled Champion Mindset, which looks at the importance of the mental side of tennis and chronicles his own battles with self-esteem and confidence issues, Mouratoglou looks back on an interview that highlighted why Djokovic had a mindset that separated him from the pack chasing Federer and Nadal.
“I remember the first time when Novak came onto the tour and Rafa and Roger were winning everything,” Mouratoglou told Tennis365.
“All the other guys were thinking these two are unbeatable and then this young guy from Serbia comes onto the screen and he is about to play Roger in one of the first rounds of the Grand Slam.
“He was getting interviewed before the match and Novak said ‘I’m going to beat him’.
“Straight away the reaction to these comments was really negative and people were asking who was this guy who thinks he can beat the great Federer.
“Then another journalist said to Djokovic that he sounded a bit cocky and I remember his response. He was polite and said: ‘I’m not cocky, I’m just confident in my abilities’.
“Well, he went on to prove it. Time and again. He became world No 1, he beat both Roger and Rafa time and again and ended up with the best record of the three.”
Djokovic’s appetite for a battle and his refusal to accept defeat are two of the big reasons why he will end his career with more Grad Slam titles, more Masters 1000 titles and all the key records in the men’s game in his favour, with Mouratoglou suggesting he has a mental strength that cannot be taught.
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“Mentally Novak is the strongest of the three,” states Mouratoglou. “He has won the most Grand Slams and has achieved the most of the three, by far by the way.
“It doesn’t please people when you say he is the best because the other two are more liked than Novak, but this is undeniable now. He is the greatest of all time.
“When you look at Novak’s game and compare it to Roger and Rafa, you say how can this guy with this game have a better record than the other two, but it is because he is the best of all time mentally.
“You can’t teach confidence like he had. You just have it and this is a big topic in my book. It is not a question of teaching confidence, but you can do things to build it in a person.
“It can’t come from someone else. No one can give you the confidence and it doesn’t come by chance. It’s something you earn by doing the right things every day.
“You look at what he is doing every day in his life and it gives Novak so much confidence. He builds his life around being the best he can be and he is the only one doing this.”
Djokovic has spoken about how he controls his mindset in the heat of battle on court and his ability to come back from match points down to win highlights how he can maintain his belief when the odds are stacked against him.
That is one of many reasons why Djokovic is destined to be etched into tennis history as the greatest player of them all.
