The only thing Djokovic needs right now is to find motivation

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When Novak Djokovic announced that Andy Murray would be his coach for the 2025 season, the news rocked the tennis world. Many expressed doubt and amazement, creating an extra incentive for the 2025 season. Analysts, experts, and coaches have rushed to comment on this partnership, and the latest to do so was someone with whom Novak himself was once related, none other than Patrick Mouratoglou, who spoke with TennisMajors and expressed his initial surprise about this duo:

"It's crazy that Andy wants to return to the circuit already. Surely Novak's proposal is very difficult to refuse: you can't turn down training the best player of all time. I can't say I wasn't surprised by the news, that I wasn't surprised that Andy Murray is Novak Djokovic's new coach. I think it makes sense, but it surprised me, I didn't expect it. I understand that continuing in the circuit is a different passion, reliving all emotions, although I also believe it's very rare to make the transition from player to coach so quickly," said Mouratoglou, who made it clear that the current state of the circuit has changed a lot over the past twelve months... and that facing new dominators will be difficult.

"Reconquering Grand Slams is an immense challenge for them now, as tennis is sensationally dominated by Sinner and Alcaraz. Novak and Andy have always had a great relationship, born in '87 and the same age, so they have faced each other many times and for a long time. They have two extremely similar playing styles, is it a good decision? Time and results will tell us, as always," Patrick affirmed. Thus, the coach emphasized the psychology of the Serb, trying to get to the root of his slight drop in results in 2024 and summarizing it all in one word: motivation.

"People in the tennis world have asked me many times if I think it's a good idea or not. I think: What does Novak need the most? I believe that all Novak needs is motivation. After feeling that the end had come for Rafa, in early 2024, he couldn't find motivation again. Novak didn't lose his level in two months, that's impossible: his motivation dropped because he has already won the battle against Roger and Rafa. His only major tournament of the year was the Olympics, where he had immense motivation to win the gold. He needs that motivation, that emotional trigger that makes him want to win everything as he has throughout his career."

DOUBTS ABOUT ANDY AND A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT CIRCUIT

At this point, the question Mouratoglou asks is clear: is Andy Murray the ideal person to motivate Novak? "Yes and no": the answer is ambiguous, but he argues it calmly, providing a more global perspective that includes two names that will shape the short-term future of tennis: Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz.

Is Andy the ideal person to motivate him? Yes and no. I'd say no because I don't think he has that shouting, emotional character, he's very calm, but he's also very intelligent, and I think he will have ideas on how to challenge Novak to help him find the motivation again. The challenge is important because the level at which Alcaraz and Sinner are is impressive. Perhaps for Nole, it's harder to beat Sinner than Alcaraz, because Jannik doesn't make mistakes: he has the same skills as Nole, covers the court very well, doesn't miss, and takes the ball before Novak. Novak will have to return to a phenomenal form to beat Sinner. I'm not saying beating Alcaraz will be easy, mind you, it won't, you have to match his strength and his ability to vary rhythms, heights, and directions.

If Nole has chosen Andy, it's because it's a more than valid option. Training anyone, anyone, always presents a challenge. They are two players born in '87 who will face the new generation, who will tell them that they are still there, forcing them to show that they are better than them." As Patrick says, only time will tell us what they are capable of... and we, of course, can't wait to see it.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, "Lo único que necesita Djokovic ahora mismo es encontrar la motivación"