Novak Djokovic branded 'really beatable' by Serena Williams' old coach after Wimbledon agony
Novak Djokovic was left reeling after Wimbledon final defeat
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Serena Williams' old coach Patrick Mouratoglou believes Novak Djokovic is now 'really beatable' because of the sheer amount of pressure on his shoulders.
The Serb saw his dominance of Wimbledon ended by Carlos Alcaraz earlier this month, with the 20-year-old securing a second Grand Slam title of his career.
As a result of Alcaraz's triumph, Djokovic missed out on two big records.
Victory would have seen him draw level with Roger Federer on eight Wimbledon titles.
Carlos Alcaraz was too strong for Novak Djokovic in this month's Wimbledon final
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And Djokovic was also prevented from drawing level with Margaret Court on 24 Grand Slam crowns.
Mouratoglou, speaking on his Instagram account, has now expressed a belief the former world No 1 is 'really beatable' due to the pressure being a tennis icon brings.
“I think in the situation he is now, he is really beatable in those matches because of the weight of history," he said.
"I feel that being this ultimate favourite all the time and playing for history – it has to be a burden.
"I don’t think Carlos has an edge on Novak.
“I think, he beat him in a Grand Slam final, Novak beat him in Roland Garros. So I think both players are very close in terms of level.
"I think Novak can play much better than what he did in the final. I think he was very nervous.
"He has to be able to play more free.”
Williams' old coach also believes Alcaraz's 'freedom' benefitted him during the match with Djokovic on Centre Court, too.
“The reason why Carlos won the Wimbledon final, I believe is because he felt free to go for his shots in the big moments and Novak didn’t," he stated.
"It was a very mental match and both of the guys get tense.
“I mean a Grand Slam final has to be mental, for sure. And I think the best image is this tiebreak in the second set, and he (Djokovic) has this backhand and he hits the net.
"He could have killed the match and he didn’t.
“We can say the same for Carlos, he was two sets to one up and he had these two break points at the start of the fourth.
"And Novak is really super down at that time, and he (Alcaraz) doesn’t make them either.
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“But at the end, if you put Novak in the perspective of where Carlos is now, Novak would have done the same.
"Playing like the underdog and playing unbelievable in the big moments.”
It'll now be interesting to see how Djokovic responds following this setback, with Alcaraz very much the talk of the tennis world.
The 36-year-old is currently focused on the upcoming US Open, which is due to take place next month.
Alcaraz is the defending champion but Djokovic will be fuelled by the prospect of revenge, with the veteran also set to make his first appearance at Flushing Meadows in two years.
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