Nadal Praises Djokovic, Calls Mouratoglou Wrong
By Richard Pagliaro | Wednesday, February 11, 2026
Photo credit: Stephane Cardinale/Corbis/Getty
The King of Clay praised the Grand Slam king’s longevity—and suggests fans should treasure Novak Djokovic’s play because his Grand Slam end is in sight.
Rafael Nadal spoke to Spanish media at the Spin & Swing charity golf tournament, spotlighting former rival Djokovic’s run to the Australian Open final—and taking aim at Coach Patrick Mouratoglou’s recent comments suggesting the New 2 have surpassed the Big 3 in quality of play.
In an Instagram post Mouratoglou said that the 38-year-old Djokovic’s dynamic semifinal victory over 24-year-old Jannik Sinner in the Australian Open semifinals does not negate the fact the world No. 2 had beaten the Grand Slam king five times in a row before that Melbourne meeting.
“For those who think that Djokovic beating Sinner in the semifinal of the Australian Open means that the Big 3 is playing better tennis than Alcaraz and Sinner,” Mouratoglou posed on Instagram. “This is a very short view.
“First of all, you take one match and you make a rule out of it. Just remember that Sinner had won the five previous matches that they played against each other. Just one match will not make me change my mind about what I’ve seen for the last two to three years.
“Jannik moves faster, hits harder, takes the ball earlier, and serves better than Novak. But Novak is the strongest mental in tennis in the history and that’s what made the difference. That’s what made his whole career.”
Nadal, who was on hand to watch Alcaraz defeat Djokovic in the AO final and become the youngest man to complete the career Grand Slam, posted a “laughing so hard I’m crying” emoji response to Coach Patrick. Though Nadal (or perhaps his social media manager) subsequently deleted his reply, it was captured by some on social media.
The 22-time Grand Slam champion called Mouratoglou’s analysis wrong at the charity golf tournament.
“Alcaraz is on the great train of tennis legends but I don’t see the controversy. I left a comment and then removed it because I didn’t want to create any controversy about anything,” Nadal told Spanish media in comments published by AS.com. “I think Mouratoglou’s analysis is wrong, in the end it’s like if you compare Messi today with the Messi who played for Barça, or as if you compare Cristiano Ronaldo today with the one who played here at Madrid.
“This is simply my point of view, then everyone makes their career. I never said, nor will I say, that some are better than others, in the end the career of each one will mark who has been better. They are great ambassadors for our sport today.
“I think we have to be happy to have someone like Djokovic who is still up there after so many years on the tour. Having Carlos for us I think is a blessing. To have a player like Carlos who represents us all over the world and on top of that is taking tennis to an incredible level, I think we can only enjoy and appreciate it.”
Patrick Mouratoglou:
— Swish 🍒 Tennis (@Zwxsh) February 5, 2026
"Thinking that Alcaraz and Sinner aren't better than the Big Three just because Novak beat Sinner at the Australian Open is a short-term view."
Rafa Nadal's reaction: "🤭🫣🤣🤣🤣" pic.twitter.com/hiE47kSyxM
The 14-time Roland Garros champion said the fact Djokovic is still contesting Grand Slam finals against opponents 16 years younger than him is exceptional, but cautioned the 38-year-old Serbian superstar is nearing the end of his Grand Slam career.
“I think Djokovic has left an impressive career and continues to play because at the moment he can. I don’t think we need to talk about whether it’s good for tennis or not,” Nadal said. “If one wins, if another wins. He had a great opportunity in Melbourne, and at this point in his career, to be honest, he doesn’t have that many left.
“But I think it’s admirable what he’s achieving.”
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