Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz are fighting for the world no. 1 spot but also for titles and Patrick Mouratoglou shared his thoughts about their battle.
Only recently, the 22-time Grand Slam champion was fighting for Grand Slam trophies with two of his biggest rivals, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. But while the Swiss Maestro retired and the Spanish 'King of Clay' struggles with injuries, new challengers emerged on the ATP Tour.
In 2021, Daniil Medvedev defeated the Serb in the US Open final, and a couple of seasons later, Alcaraz is fighting him for the world no. 1 spot. The teenager already lifted his first major trophy, but when discussing the best player in the world, Mouratoglou was straightforward.
"The best player in the world is the world no. 1, and it's Novak Djokovic. He is not able to play a lot of tournaments for non-vaccinated reasons, and he's still technically no.1. Novak will probably be the GOAT."
The French coached praised Djokovic's longevity and the fact that he's able to win Grand Slam titles even after his biggest rival started struggling with injuries and one of them even retired in the meantime.
"He's a guy who's winning Grand Slams for 15 years. He arrived at a time that Rafa and Roger were winning absolutely everything, and he was able to arrive, beat both of them, and become No. 1."
In the future, Alcaraz is predicted to have a great future, and Mouratoglou agrees with that. According to the French coach, who recently ended his 'adventure' with Holger Rune, the Spaniard is 'more impressive' in terms of tennis that he offers, but he's not atop of the Serb just yet.
"I think Carlos is more impressive than Novak in terms of the tennis he plays. He has so much power, he's so explosive physically. He also has a touch. I understand that people already want to put Carlos on top of him, but he's not there yet."