Patrick Mouratoglou, who is widely expected to become Novak Djokovic’s new coach in the near future, has insisted that Roger Federer will never win another Grand Slam as a result of the Swiss icon’s ongoing injury problems. Mouratoglou is reportedly set to replace Marian Vajda on Djokovic’s coaching team over the coming weeks and will be hoping to lead the world No 1 to no shortage of further success in his new role.
Djokovic is just one Grand Slam title shy of Rafael Nadal’s all-time record, which was set by the Spaniard as he clinched his 21st gong in the absence of his rival at this year’s Australian Open. Federer is also just short of Nadal on the same number of titles as Djokovic but has not won any of the four major tournaments since his most recent triumph in Melbourne back in 2018.
The 40-year-old missed the vast majority of last year’s action with a chronic knee injury before the problem flared up again in August to put him back on the sidelines until at least this summer. Mouratoglou has since written off Federer’s hopes of winning more Grand Slams than Djokovic or Nadal by insisting that he will struggle to return to his very best form at this late stage in his career.
“The last Grand Slam title won by Roger Federer dates back to 2018,” Mouratoglou told Tennis World USA. “He has only played three majors in the past two seasons and has already announced that he will not attend Wimbledon this year. I see it hard that he can increase his Grand Slam tally.”
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The 51-year-old, who has coached Serena Williams to 10 major titles over the last decade, went on to suggest that Djokovic will need to emerge victorious at Wimbledon to stand any chance of catching Nadal if the latter claims the spoils once again at this year’s French Open. He racked up four consecutive titles at Roland Garros between 2017 and 2020 before Djokovic managed to break his winning streak at the last time of asking.
“Before the Australian Open 2022, Nole was by far in pole position,” added Mouratoglou. “Rafa’s victory in Melbourne turned the tables on the table, forcing Djokovic to chase again.
“The next big tournament will be Roland Garros, which Nadal has won seven times in the past 10 years. If he were to establish himself in 2022, the pressure on Nole would increase dramatically. At that point, the Serbian would be forced to win Wimbledon.”
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Meanwhile, it remains to be seen whether Federer will be able to restore his former title-winning glory upon his eventual return to the Tour from injury later this year. He managed to lose four of his 13 official matches in 2021, with a round-of-16 berth at Roland Garros and a quarter-final spot at Wimbledon marking his best seasonal results.
Federer has endured three operations on his injured knee over the last few years and will be desperately hoping that he will not be forced to go under the knife once again upon his return to full fitness. He recently announced his plans to get back on the court in the summer or the early autumn and could make his comeback at the Laver Cup in London at the end of September.
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