Novak Djokovic's resurgence: Patrick Mouratoglou confident Nole can defeat Jannik Sinner in Roland Garros

Naomi Osaka's coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, asserted that Novak Djokovic is one of the few players who can defeat Jannik Sinner, and expects a tough battle in the Roland Garros semifinals. The 24-time Grand Slam champion will face a formidable challenge against the world No. 1 in the day's blockbuster match at the French Open.

Just a couple of weeks ago, Djokovic was in a highly doubtful state of form. Two losses on the clay-court swing and zero wins... until he traveled to the Geneva Open. He had a good campaign there, reaching the final and winning his 100th ATP title after overcoming Hubert Hurkacz.

He quickly launched his French Open campaign, traveling to Paris and beginning a great run in the tournament. He advanced without conceding sets until the quarterfinals, where he faced his first major test against world No. 3 Alexander Zverev – the tournament's finalist in 2024. Nole came back from a set down and ultimately secured the victory 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4.

Ahead of the stellar clash with Sinner in the semifinals, renowned coach Patrick Mouratoglou – who has previously worked with tennis players like Serena Williams, Simona Halep, and Holger Rune – analyzed the 38-year-old's chances of beating the world No. 1 on Court Philippe Chatrier.

"It's Novak. It's not anyone. It's Novak. Can Novak beat him? Yes. Why? Because Novak is a beast, mentally. I've never seen anyone in the men's game that is such an incredible player in terms of mental abilities. And that he became the GOAT in terms of achievements at a time when he was playing with the two other GOATs."

"Yeah, he can beat Sinner, because we can have a transformed Novak in that match that will play a level that we did not expect. Is he far from his best level? No, but he's getting close."

The French coach, who currently works with Naomi Osaka, assured that Djokovic's performance against Zverev can clear doubts regarding the level Nole can reach against the best players, and that he is ready to play a 5-set match if necessary.

"You know, the match against Zverev was reassuring in terms of the ones who would doubt him. He beats a top-three player who was a finalist last year at Roland Garros, in the quarterfinals, in five sets. On clay, that is not his best surface. So can he even rise to another level to beat Sinner in the semifinal? Yeah, he can."

Djokovic and Sinner have a 4-4 head-to-head record so far, although the last three encounters went to Sinner. Their last match was in the Shanghai Masters Final, where the Italian beat him in straight sets. They will face off this Friday night for a spot in the final, where defending champion Carlos Alcaraz is already waiting.