Serena Williams' ex-coach makes major prediction about Novak Djokovic's retirement after Serb's Indian Wells heartbreak

Serena Williams' former coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, has made a major prediction about Novak Djokovic’s retirement. The Serbian star recently competed at Indian Wells.

On Sunday, March 9, Novak Djokovic faced off against the Netherlands’ Botic van de Zandschulp in the first round of the BNP Paribas Open. In a tough three-set battle, the Serbian star fell to Van de Zandschulp, losing 2-6, 6-3, 1-6.

Mouratoglou, shared a video on Instagram from his interview with the Tennis Channel at the BNP Paribas Open. During the segment, he played a true-or-false game and was asked whether Novak Djokovic could surpass Roger Federer’s retirement age.

Interviewer: “Novak Djokovic will stop his career later than Roger.”

Patrick Mouratoglou: “False.”

Patrick Mouratoglou: “Novak will end his career earlier than 41 years old, I think, but it all depends on his motivation. I don't feel his motivation is going to last four more years.”

Novak Djokovic makes honest admission about his poor Indian Wells performance

Novak Djokovic at Day Two: The Championships - Wimbledon 2024 - Source: Getty

After withdrawing from the Australian Open semifinal due to injury, Novak Djokovic returned to action at the Qatar Open before heading to Indian Wells. However, his comeback was short-lived, as he suffered a first-round defeat to Matteo Berrettini in straight sets, making an early exit from the tournament.

Once again, he met the same fate at the ATP 1000 Masters tournament in Indian Wells, this time against Botic van de Zandschulp. Speaking at a post-match press conference, Djokovic reflected on his performance, admitting it was below his expectations. "Poor performance," the Serb said, sharing his thoughts on the match.

"I mean, it's always something happening, but I don't want to talk about it. I mean, obviously no excuses for a poor performance. Just it doesn't feel great when you play this way on the court, but congratulations to my opponent. You know, just a bad day in the office, I guess, for me."

He acknowledged his own shortcomings and praised his opponent but also noted that the different court conditions—clay versus hard court—could impact his gameplay during the match.

"You know, I regret for the level of tennis, considering how I practice these days. To be honest, the difference between the center court and the other courts is immense. Ball is bouncing on the center courts higher than some of the highest clay courts, to be honest. Yeah, just struggled a lot with that. Couldn't find the rhythm," Djokovic said.