Serena Williams' ex-coach Patrick Mouratoglou declares Novak Djokovic "the greatest of all time," but also says that it has never been "more difficult" for the Serb to win a Grand Slam.
In 2023, the Serbian tennis star won three Majors and officially beat out Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer in the Grand Slam race.
Since then, Djokovic has made only one Slam final – he was beaten by Carlos Alcaraz in the 2024 Wimbledon title match. In 2025, the 38-year-old made the semifinals of all four Majors, but still didn't manage to make a single final. And the biggest reason for that was the presence of Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.
Alcaraz and Sinner have each won four Grand Slams since 2024. Three of four Major finals this year featured a match between the Spaniard and the Italian.
When it comes to Djokovic's level, it is pretty clear where he stands heading into 2026 – he is still capable of making a run on the biggest stage, but the Alcaraz and Sinner challenge appears to be too much to overcome at the moment.
Mouratoglou hopes Djokovic wins his 25h Major: It's never been so difficult…
“What would be amazing is to see Novak win at least one last Grand Slam. It’s never been so difficult because, as we all know, Sinner and Alcaraz are killing the game. They’re so much above," Mouratoglou said in a video uploaded to his Instagram.
“When Novak had to play them, he said it was too difficult, too high, especially in five sets. The chances are small, Novak himself says it. But how amazing it would be for him, who is the greatest of all time on the men’s side, to win one last Grand Slam in the era of Alcaraz and Sinner, and score that unbelievable 25th Grand Slam.”
This past season, Djokovic retired injured against Alexander Zverev in the Australian Open semifinal. In the rest of his Slam year, he was twice beaten by Sinner and once by Alcaraz.
It remains to be seen if Djokovic can turn back the clock and become the first-ever male or female player with 25 Grand Slam singles titles.
