Mouratoglou rates juniors better than juniors, Nadal points out issues, responds with comedy – Tennis Now

By Richard Pagliaro Friday, February 6, 2026
Photo credit: Clive Brunskill/Getty

Debates over the dominance of different generations in tennis date back to the days of wooden racquets and gut strings.

Now, coach Patrick Mouratoglou Reaffirmed his belief in the new 2——Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner— is playing a better brand of tennis than the iconic Big Three champions Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer generated.

Mouratoglou’s latest analysis prompted a brief but pointedly comic response from the King of Clay himself.

Patrick Mouratoglou, who coached 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams, posted on Instagram that the 38-year-old Djokovic’s energetic win over the 24-year-old Sinner in the Australian Open semi-finals did not negate the fact that the world No. 2 had defeated the Grand Slam king five times in a row before the match in Melbourne.

“For those who think Djokovic beating Sinner in the Australian Open semi-finals means the Big Three are playing better tennis than Alcaraz and Sinner,” Mouratoglou said on Instagram. “This is a very short-sighted view.

“First you take a game and then you make a rule. Just remember Sinner won the five previous games they played. Just one game isn’t going to make me change my mind about what I’ve seen over the past two or three years.

“Yannik moves faster than Novak, hits the ball harder, catches the ball earlier and serves better. But Novak is the most powerful mental force in the history of tennis, and that’s what makes the difference. That’s what his whole career has been about.”

Nadal, who was on hand to watch Alcaraz beat Djokovic in the AO final to become the youngest man to complete a career Grand Slam, posted a “laughing so hard I cried” emoji to Coach Patrick. Although Nadal (or possibly his social media manager) later deleted his reply, it was captured by some on social media. Here’s Nadal’s response to Mouratoglou’s comments:

Patrick Mouratoglou:

“It’s a short-term view to think that Alcaraz and Sinner are not better than the Big Three just because Novak beat Sinner at the Australian Open.”

Rafa Nadal’s reaction: “🤭🫣🤣🤣🤣” pic.twitter.com/hiE47kSyxM

— Swish 🍒 Tennis (@Zwxsh) February 5, 2026

Coach Patrick continued: “Sinner won the whole game by 12 points more than Novak, but he lost because Novak won the most important points. Novak is not a better tennis player than Sinner, but he is the biggest competitor in history [of tennis] He was better in that game. “

Mouratoglou is not the only analyst to weigh in on Alcaraz and Sinner, who have won nine consecutive Grand Slam titles in the last nine.

in a Interviewed by Tennis Now shortly before Christmas, ESPN analyst Patrick McEnroe He also said that the level of tennis displayed by Alcaraz and Sinner was the most exciting in the history of tennis.

“Look, I think tennis is more exciting now than it’s ever been,” Patrick McEnroe told Tennis Now. “Certainly the power is greater now than it was in the past. And the average player is certainly playing with a lot more power than when I was playing – that’s part of the nature of the game. However, there are still players who are skilled enough to play and can chip the ball.

“The great players are also the ones who can use skill to play the ball. I mean look at what Alcaraz can do with the bat. I think more players are trying to emulate that.

“Actually, I think the racket and technique make the game more exciting.

“If you want Richard, you can go back and watch, which I’m sure you’ve done, go back and watch my brother play against Bjorn Borg at the Open. Or go back and watch like Lendl did against Wilander in the French Open final. I mean Lendl was hitting the ball every rally and walking into the middle of the court.

“Obviously if they had both grown up with the same rackets they would have been just as good. But you can’t tell me the game was more exciting then than it is now – you have no chance of winning that argument.”