After Jannik Sinner’s Australian Open victory, Patrick Mouratoglou has restated the claim he made last year that 2024 could be the year of the Italian.
Mouratoglou outlined Sinner’s two wins over Novak Djokovic late at the end of 2023 season as key and lauded his ability to strike when he could have overwhelmed by the pressure and choked at the last hurdle.
The Italian overcame 10-time Australian Open Champion to record an emphatic four set win in the semifinal of season-opening slam and become the first player to beat the 24-time major champion at Melbourne Park since 2018.
In the championship match, Sinner came from behind (0-2 in sets) to compile a 5-set victory against Medvedev and win his maiden Grand Slam title.
The 22-year-old has now won three of his last four matches against Djokovic as he also defeated him at the ATP Finals and Davis Cup Finals in November last year.
Mouratoglou while lauding the efforts of the World No. 4, mentioned what was the most impressive aspect of his Australian Open triumph as he recalled his prediction for the Italian which he made following the conclusion of 2023 Davis Cup in last November.
“At the end of 2023, I said this year could be Sinner’s year. So it’s not surprising for me [that Sinner won the Australian Open],” the renowned coach claimed while talking to Tennis Majors.
“What was very impressive with Sinner is that he was able to play the match that we expected from him. Novak was not there [in the semi-finals] but Sinner played the exact match he was supposed to play.
“When he played his first Grand Slam final, he was able to deliver, and do this until the end of the match—deliver his level. He could have choked a lot at the end. He did not choke.
“The quality of tennis he was playing at the end of the season, the victories he got, two over Novak, one in this Davis Cup match that was very important, 6-4 in the third. All these things played a big role in his ability to win his first Grand Slam final.
“You could feel that he was getting closer and closer. Finally, everything was aligned. He had the confidence necessary because he had won so many of these matches at the end of the season.
“His level of play was very constant, and the quality of the tennis he was playing was extremely high, and high enough to win a Grand Slam. The only question mark was would he be able to deliver that in a Grand Slam final, and he gave the answer to that in the best possible way.”
In December, Mouratoglou shared an analysis from Australian legend Tony Roche to assert how Sinner might imitate Djokovic by having a stellar campaign in 2024.
“He won the Davis Cup and that’s an incredible boost. It reminds me of 2011 for Novak. We had this discussion with Tony Roche at the Australian Open [in] 2011.
“We were discussing exactly the same topic: ‘who’s gonna play well this year?’ I don’t remember who I said, but I didn’t say Novak, and he said, ‘I think Djokovic is going to win, he’s going to be the one this year.’
The French man continued: “And I said, ‘why do you say that’. And he said, ‘because what he did at Davis Cup, winning for his country, being the guy that brought all the points. I think it’s an incredible boost of confidence for the next year.’
“And 2011 was the year of Novak. That’s the year that he really won most of everything. Beat Rafa – I don’t know how many times – even on clay several times. So that was his year. And I think it (2024) can be the year of Jannik. I think Novak has an edge, but I think he can play incredible this year.”
Mouratoglou, who coaches at the Mouratoglou Tennis Academy in France, has previously worked with ATP and WTA tour stars Simona Halep, like Serena Williams, Coco Gauff, Holger Rune and Stefanos Tsitsipas.