Novak Djokovic is the perfect athlete for tennis – his body was more ready to last than Rafael Nadal – Patrick Mouratoglou

Renowned coach Patrick Mouratoglou feels Novak Djokovic is the perfect athlete for tennis and his body was more ready to last as compared to Rafael Nadal. Djokovic recently lifted his 24th Grand Slam title after winning the US Open and he is now two clear of Rafael Nadal.

The Serbian is expected to add a few more Slams to his tally, the way he is going at the top level. Djokovic, 36, is still fit as a fiddle and he is hungry for more success while playing in the Majors whereas Nadal is recovering from a hip injury.

In fact, the French coach had predicted that Djokovic was going to win more than Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. The Big 3, as they are famously known, are known for their different style of play.

Djokovic has a more traditional way whereas Nadal is known for his fighting spirit on the court.

“I think I said that he will probably be the record holder of the number of Grand Slams when he had 12 or 13. He was dominant already. I felt that at that time, he was better than Roger or Rafa,” assessed the Frenchman on ‘Eye of the Coach’ series for Tennis Majors’.

“Of course, Rafa was always better on clay, but on all the other surfaces, he (Djokovic) was superior. Of course, he lost many matches against them. But generally speaking, I felt he was winning more and able to win more and constantly.

“He was still young and I knew that his body was in perfect shape and ready to last much more than Rafa, for example, who had so many injuries and has a game that is painful for the body.

Djokovic is well known to maintain his fitness and has a strict diet.

“Novak’s game is not painful for the body. He has an incredible diet, and training. He’s just, for me, the perfect athlete for tennis. So that was the reason.”