Naomi Osaka’s coach Patrick Mouratoglou has some issues with Novak Djokovic’s decision to play the Madrid Masters simply because he thought that the Serb looked “unmotivated” during a shocking opening loss.
After stunningly losing to Jakub Mensik in the Miami Masters final and failing to win his 100th ATP title, the 37-year-old started his clay season in a disappointing way after losing to Alejandro Tabilo in the Monte Carlo Masters first round.
Djokovic’s run in Madrid didn’t go any better since he was upset by Matteo Arnaldi in his first match at the tournament – a loss which put him on a three-match losing streak.
A few days after the Madrid exit, the record 24-time Grand Slam champion withdrew from this week’s Rome Masters. Now, the current world No. 6 is set to head to the French Open without a match won on clay this spring.
Mouratoglou: Djokovic didn’t even look like he was trying to win in Monte Carlo and Madrid
“I was very surprised to see Novak play like that in Monte Carlo and then again in Madrid. For a guy like him, if he doesn’t feel like playing, if he doesn’t have the motivation, I don’t think he should play because he didn’t even look like he was trying to win,” Mouratoglou said in a video uploaded on his Instagram.
“I am not saying he is not able to play better, he is for sure able to play much better, but I felt like he was not prepared physically. I mean, tennis-wise, physically, for those tournaments because he doesn’t have the motivation – and no judgment there. But the question is ‘Why did he play then?’ I don’t understand. Motivation is a big thing for him, it’s all about it, and I’ve been saying that now for quite a long time.”
After his Madrid loss to Arnaldi, Djokovic suggested that he needs to adjust to his new reality and accept that making deep runs in tournaments for him isn’t a sure thing anymore.
Throughout his career, the Serb had been able to find and deliver his absolute best during Grand Slams.
Heading into this year’s French Open, Djokovic’s position is all but a good one and it will be interesting to see if he can get through a couple of opening matches and then peak in the latter stage at Roland Garros.
