Patrick Mouratoglou on why Novak Djokovic gets booed by fans as he makes bold 2024 prediction

The 2023 tennis year ended with Novak Djokovic reigning supreme once against and that trend is set to continue in the new year.

That’s the verdict of super-coach Patrick Mouratoglou, who spoke to Tennis365 ahead of the Ultimate Tennis Showdown (UTS) Grand Final in London.

Djokovic’s win at the ATP Finals cemented his position as the best player in the world, with his victories at the Australian Open, French Open and US Open boosting his Grand Slam title haul to a record-extending 24.

As he approached his 37th birthday in 2024, it would appear that Djokovic may face an inevitable decline, but Mouratoglou suggests young guns like Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz and Holger Rune still have much to prove.

“We got to the end of last year and everyone was saying Holger Rune could be the guy to stop Djokovic and now they are saying the same about Sinner, but it hasn’t happened yet,” Mouratoglou told Tennis365 in an exclusive interview.

“The records speak for themselves. He has beaten every record and is now by far the greatest tennis player of all-time.

“If you consider that he is coming up to his 37th birthday in 2024, it seems crazy that he is still winning this much.

“To have a record like this, you have to be able to win the biggest titles consistently for 20 years and we haven’t seen this before in too many sports.

“Winning a Grand Slam when Djokovic is here makes it tough for anyone. Winning Masters 1000 is a huge step and that takes you closer, as Sinner and Rune have done.

“Then you try and beat Novak over the best of five sets and it is very different. A Grand Slam is a marathon and a lot happens over two weeks.

“Your opponent can get sick or injured, and you have a day when a guy plays great against you and that can be the end, but Djokovic has shown he knows how to win when it is best of five sets.

“I think Alcaraz, Sinner and Rune are closer to him, but there is one reason why they will not be favourite going into the Grand Slams in 2024 and that reason is Novak Djokovic.”

Mouratoglou went on to address the reasons why Djokovic is still craving the love and respect of some tennis fans despite his incredible success at the top of the sport.

https://twitter.com/uts_tour_/status/1735600751202714077

Sinner was claimed the ATP Fans’ Favourite award and Djokovic posted a sarcastic message on Instagram after his coach Goran Ivanesevic was denied the Coach of the Year prize despite guiding the Serbian to remarkable success this year.

Djokovic has also faced boos and jeers crowds in Paris, Wimbledon and Turin in recent months, with Mouratoglous suggesting the affection many fans still have for Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal is at the root of this animosity.

READ MORE: Novak Djokovic makes feelings clear as Goran Ivanisevic snubbed for ATP Coach of the Year award

“Rafa and Roger were the biggest superstars of tennis, but Novak came in and beat both of them and the crowds hated him for that,” he believes.

“I think he is booed for other reasons as well. He says he doesn’t like this negativity, but sometimes he pushes the crowd to book him because it helps him during the matches.

“What we should not forget is has 14 million followers on Instagram, he is a huge hero in Serbia. He is the biggest name in tennis and we will all miss him when he stops playing the sport.”

Mouratoglou is excited to have taken the UTS competition he created to London for the Grand Final in 2024, with London ExCel Arena set to host big crowds for an event starring Holger Rune, Andrey Rublev, Gael Monfils and Jack Draper.

“I’m super excited to be in London for the UTS Finals,” he added.

“I love London. It is one of the best cities in the world and has such a big history of tennis with Wimbledon being here, as well as the ATP Finals for many years.

“We are trying to do something different with UTS. Tradition is important in tennis and we all love that, but we are aiming to attract and new and younger audience.

“We really want UTS to be a league, with several tournaments over the course of the year, but the challenge is finding space in the calendar to make that happen.”