Another chance for Novak Djokovic to claim a 25th major went begging at the Australian Open.
After knocking out 2025 champion Jannik Sinner in the semifinals, Djokovic lost to Carlos Alcaraz in the final.
The Serb took the first set in the championship match, but couldn’t get over the line against the Spaniard, who became the youngest player in history to complete the Career Grand Slam at 22.
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Djokovic has been attempting to add to his major collection since hoisting the 2023 US Open trophy; his 24th.
He suffered a near miss in the 2024 Wimbledon final, and reached the semifinal stage of all four Grand Slams in 2025.
Despite a number of lengthy campaigns, Djokovic has not been able to go all the way, and Serena Williams’ former coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, thinks his shortcomings are solely down to motivation.
Patrick Mouratoglou says Novak Djokovic is not motivated enough
In a post on Instagram, Mouratoglou said: “The only obstacle that prevents Novak from winning Grand Slams is his motivation.
“I don’t think he’s motivated enough for the 25th, otherwise I think he would have done it. He was crazy motivated for the Olympic Games, he made the gold medal, and he beat Alcaraz in the final.
“He’s done to achieve his goals all his life. He wanted to be the best of all time. He is undoubtedly the best of all time. Nobody any time soon will beat this record.
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“Every time he went to a Grand Slam, he was ready to win. Now he’s not, so he doesn’t expect to go all the way. Why? Not the age, not the level of tennis. Because he’s fit.
“If he practices and prepares, he can play. Of course, he doesn’t recover as well as before but he can make the matches easy until at least the quarters or the semis.
“Novak is the strongest mental in the history. If he wants something, even if the level is here (high) and he is here (low), he’s gonna match it. He’s gonna find a way. He is going to take the most important points of the match, then he’s going to win.
“It’s only about motivation. He knows it better than anyone. He has all the keys, we don’t.”
Patrick Mouratoglou does not think Novak Djokovic wants to surpass Margaret Court
Djokovic is one major crown away from becoming the player, man or woman, with the outright most major titles in history.
He is currently tied with Margaret Court, who also secured 24 Grand Slams from 1960 to 1973, with 11 of them being clinched in the Open Era (French Open 1968 and after).
However, Mouratoglou does not think Djokovic is interested in this record.
The Frenchman said: “Does he want to beat a woman’s record that was scored in the previous century. I mean, come on.
“We all know that it’s not something you want to beat because tennis was not professional. All the players were amateurs.
“How can you compare that with what happened since tennis became a professional sport? You can’t. I don’t think he’s motivated by that record. Otherwise, again, he would have made it.”
Djokovic’s next chance at number 25 will come at Roland Garros, where he is a three-time champion.
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