Patrick Mouratoglou questions Novak Djokovic’s US Open motivation and a key decision he made
Leading coach Patrick Mouratoglou expressed concerns over Novak Djokovic’s motivation and physical freshness as he assessed the tennis legend’s 2025 US Open prospects.
Djokovic won his 24th and most recent Grand Slam title at the 2023 US Open, and he is trying to extend his all-time major title record at this year’s edition of the New York event.
The Serbian is aiming to win his fifth US Open crown, which would see him tie fellow icons Jimmy Connors, Pete Sampras and Roger Federer for the men’s singles record at the tournament. At 38, Djokovic will become the oldest major singles champion in history if he lifts the trophy.
The world No 7 reached the semi-finals at the first three Grand Slams of 2025, while he reached his last major final at Wimbledon in 2024, losing to Carlos Alcaraz.
In videos posted on his Instagram account, Mouratoglou broke down his thoughts on Djokovic’s chances at the US Open by giving a rating out of 10 in six categories.
“General level: eight out of 10. Enough to be above most of the players, which he does every time. But so far, in the last year, year and a half, not enough to beat Alcaraz and Sinner,” said the Frenchman, who has coached Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka.
“Current form: eight out of 10. Every time he shows up in a Grand Slam, he plays great, but when it gets towards the end of the tournament, he looks either tired or injured and he can’t win.
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“Experience to win a Grand Slam: of course, 10 out of 10. He’s the one who won the most Grand Slams in the history.
“Ability to lift his level in big matches: eight out of 10. He was the one who had 11 out of 10 before, but again, in the last two years, with the exception of the Olympics Games where his motivation was at the top, I don’t think his motivation is high enough for him to lift his level enough to beat Sinner and Alcaraz when it comes to semis of Grand Slams.
“Physical and mental freshness: I give him a seven out of 10. Before the tournament, I mean anyone could think he would be a 10 out of 10; he didn’t play at all since Wimbledon. Looked a little bit out of shape, not in terms of play, but in terms of how he spoke after the match.
“And the fact that he doesn’t play any tournament besides Grand Slams and it looks like it’s a choice now, makes it difficult to be fully able to go through a whole Grand Slam in five sets without feeling tired.”
“Chances [to win] here: eight out of 10. My prediction: semi-finals.”
Djokovic will face fourth seed Taylor Fritz in the US Open quarter-final and could meet world No 2 Alcaraz if he progresses to the last four.
