Serena Williams' ex-coach shines light on what makes Novak Djokovic & Jannik Sinner truly 'champions'

Serena William’s ex-coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, has given his analysis of the wins garnered by Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner over Carlos Alcaraz and Holger Rune at the 2025 Australian Open.

The 10-time Australian Open champion defeated the World No. 3 in a thrilling four-set quarterfinal. Towards the end of the first set, which Alcaraz went on to win, Djokovic felt discomfort in his left leg and took a medical timeout. After receiving treatment, the Serb produced some excellent tennis and secured a comeback win.

In the next match, which was the semifinal against Alexander Zverev, Djokovic was forced to retire after the first set as he was unable to continue due to an injury he had faced during the quarterfinals.

The 2025 Australian Open champion, Sinner played Holger Rune in the fourth round of the tournament. He had played that match with an illness. Despite that, the World No. 1 managed to overcome the Dane in four sets.

During the third set, with Rune in a strong position, Sinner took an 11-minute medical timeout due to dizziness and physical discomfort. After recovering, the Italian dominated the remainder of the match, dismantling Rune with ease.

Recognizing the similarities between these two incidents, Patrick Mouratoglou conducted a comparative analysis and shared his insights in a video on his Instagram account.

“Most of the players at every level focus on their problems. The champions, they focus on the solutions. I like the comparison between Novak being injured and beating Carlos and Jannik being sick and beating Holger. There are two comparisons actually. The first one is that those guys are able to still compete and win being really at 30%, 40%, 50% of what they can do, which is amazing and it’s the quality of champions. I will say, on the other hand, how difficult it is to play against someone who is sick or injured because you see it and it affects the way you play,” he said.

Mouratoglou highlighted two key reasons for Sinner and Djokovic’s win. Firstly, he gave credit to their champion mentality, which is the ability to compete at their highest level in unfavourable circumstances. Secondly, he gave importance to the psychological aspect. Which is when their opponents see that their rival is injured or unwell, it will automatically have an impact on their gameplay, that is not being able to play freely as they were before.

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Carlos Alcaraz acknowledged that Novak Djokovic being injured affected his style of play

Carlos Alcaraz at a press conference - Source: Getty

In the post-match conference, Carlos Alcaraz shared that he was submissive to the fact that seeing Novak Djokovic being injured affected his play.

“It seems like, ok, it’s gonna be easier. But at the same time, in your mind, you are thinking, I have to not make mistakes, you are not hitting the ball same way that you are hitting before.”

This validates Mouratoglou's analysis that players can get affected mentally when they see their opponent not in their 100% condition, which restricts them from playing freely.

While giving a conclusion and a difference between a champion player and other players, he remarked:

“If you focus on your problems, you are not going to find solutions. I don’t feel the ball, today my serve doesn’t work. That’s actually the quote of Arthur Ashe, ‘Start where you are, use what you have, do what you can,’ That’s exactly what champions are doing. Their will to win, their refusal to lose, their obsession to find solutions make them be able to achieve incredible things even if they are far from being at 100% and that’s exactly what Sinner and Djokovic have done during this Australian Open.”

Mouratoglou emphasized the mindset of champion players, using Sinner and Djokovic as prime examples. He highlighted their unwavering will to win, regardless of the circumstances. Additionally, he discussed their ability to be resourceful—making the most of what they have in difficult situations. These qualities, he noted, are the true marks of champions.