Eye of the Coach #67: Djokovic’s Plan B just as good as Plan A

In the latest episode, Patrick Mouratoglou examines Novak Djokovic’s back-up plan

February 28, 2023

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Novak Djokovic is undefeated in 2023 thanks to his victories at the Adelaide and Australian Open tournaments. However, according to Patrick Mouratoglou, the Serb did not play well compared to his usual level in Adelaide and relied on a high-quality Plan B.

The French coach, in the latest episode of Eye of the Coach, discussed the importance for a professional player to win matches by not playing well and explained that the confidence Djokovic had at the Australian Open came from that.

He then praised the qualities of the world No 1 and especially his lack of flaws. He explained that most players have weaknesses in their games but that this was not the case for Djokovic.

Key moments

0.08: “Even on his bad days, Novak (Djokovic) is extremely hard to beat,” according to Mouratoglou who reveals the Serb’s plan B.
0.24: Mouratoglou says that “Novak’s level in Adelaide was extremely low compared to his usual level.”
1.09: The French coach talks about the confidence gained by a player who wins by playing badly.
1.27: Djokovic was playing loosely at the Australian Open, according to Holger Rune’s coach.
2.00: “Novak (Djokovic) has no weaknesses,” according to Mouratoglou.
2.19 : The coach explains that most of the other players have weak points that allow to set up tactics against them and that it is more difficult to establish an effective plan against Djokovic.