Mouratoglou compares Djokovic and Federer: who is the greater champion?

Patrick Mouratoglou, one of the most renowned tennis coaches in the world, has commented on an interesting comparison between two of the biggest names in men’s tennis: Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer.

He sheds light on the differences in their performance in middle age and highlights Djokovic’s impressive physical shape and achievements.

Djokovic’s continued dominance in tennis

Djokovic, 36, has won seven titles from just 12 ATP events on the year, winning 56 of his 63 matches across all events (88.9%).

He finished the season as world number one for a record-extending eighth time. The Serbian star won three of the four Grand Slam tournaments this year and was a finalist at Wimbledon, where he lost to Carlos Alcaraz in an epic five-set match.

This was the fourth season of Djokovic’s career in which he secured three majors, following 2011, 2015 and 2021, and the third time he appeared in all four finals and won three. Mouratoglou points out that Djokovic has now won 12 major titles in his 30s and has a remarkable 12-3 record in Grand Slam finals since his 30th.

birthday. “Novak is just as physically good today as he was when he was 26. And that’s a big difference,” explained Mouratoglou.

Federer’s impressive late career

In comparison, Federer won the Australian Open in 2017 to secure his first Grand Slam title in almost five years, marking the start of an impressive comeback campaign.

The Swiss, who turned 36 in August 2017, had an impressive season record of 54-5 (91.5%) and won seven titles, including Wimbledon and three Masters 1000 events. Mouratoglou talks about the changes in Federer’s game, especially his backhand.

“He made an important decision and started taking the ball much earlier on the backhand side and returning it flat instead of systematically slicing back,” said the Frenchman.

“But Roger hasn’t been able to win three out of four Grand Slams and be consistent throughout the year and really be a step above all the other players. That didn’t happen.”