“At 36, 37, Federer was not able to do what Novak is doing” – Mouratoglou on why Djokovic in 2023 is better than Federer in 2017-2019
Patrick Mouratoglou believes that Novak Djokovic is better in 2023 than Roger Federer was in 2017-2019
With Novak Djokovic winning four out of the five big titles available in 2023, it’s no secret that the Serbian is winding back the clock and having one of the best seasons of his career at age 36.
Many are comparing Djokovic’s post-35 success to that which Roger Federer experienced between 2017 to 2019, when he won the Australian Open twice and Wimbledon once in his mid-to-late 30s.
However, Patrick Mouratoglou has recently weighed in with his opinion in an Eye of the Coach video, outlining why Djokovic’s recent achievements are more impressive than Federer’s.
Mouratoglou believes Djokovic’s fitness sets him apart from Federer
“I often hear that what Roger did between 2017 and 2019 is as good as what Novak is doing now, and that Roger was a better player in 2017, 2018, than before,” Mouratoglou said. “But I think there is a major difference.”
“I think that Roger was a better player in a way in 2018 than he was before, actually for one main reason. His backhand. He took a major decision, and he started to take the ball much earlier on the backhand side, and to return flat, rather than return slice, systematically. That made a big difference.”
Despite this improvement, there is one glaring difference between Federer of 2017-2019, and Djokovic of 2023, as Mouratoglou goes on to explain.
“But now at 36, 37, Roger was not able to win three out of four Grand Slams and be consistent all year long and be really, one step above all the players. This didn’t happen.
“The difference is Novak, he’s physically as good today as he was when he was 26. That’s a huge difference. When you are at that level physically, you can be consistent all year long, and beat all the best players in the world on a consistent basis. That’s a big difference.”
