Rafael Nadal deletes social media post after controversial comments from Serena Williams' former coach

Mouratoglou, who previously coached Serena Williams, had sparked controversy by asserting that Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner are producing superior tennis to the legendary trio of Djokovic, Nadal and Roger Federer.

The 55-year-old coach made his provocative statement following Djokovic's semi-final triumph over Sinner at the Australian Open, arguing that a single match result should not alter his assessment of recent years.

Mouratoglou elaborated on his position by highlighting that Sinner had emerged victorious in the five preceding encounters between himself and Djokovic.

"Just one match will not make me change my mind about what I've seen for the last two or three years," he stated.

The coach proceeded to outline specific qualities where he believes the Italian surpasses the Serbian veteran, whilst acknowledging that Djokovic's exceptional competitive spirit proved decisive at Rod Laver Arena.

"Novak is not a better tennis player than Sinner, but he's the biggest competitor in their history, and he was better than Jannik Sinner in that match," Mouratoglou concluded, crediting mental fortitude as the determining factor in the semi-final outcome.

Boris Becker also took issue with Mouratoglou's assessment, commenting directly on the post.

"Patrick, I think you're alone with your opinion," the German tennis legend wrote.

Mouratoglou remained defiant in his response to Becker, declaring: "I never made an opinion based on what people think but out of my own opinion. Only dead fish swim with the stream."

Nadal has previously expressed his views on generational comparisons in tennis, maintaining that judgements about Alcaraz and Sinner relative to the Big Three should be reserved until the younger players have completed their careers.

The retired Spaniard's emoji-laden reaction, though quickly removed, suggested he found Mouratoglou's claims rather amusing.

Despite his semi-final success against Sinner, Djokovic was unable to overcome Alcaraz in Sunday's championship match, falling 6-2, 2-6, 6-3, 7-5 to his younger rival.

The victory secured Alcaraz's seventh major title and marked his maiden triumph on Australian soil.

The 22-year-old paid tribute to his defeated opponent during the post-match ceremony, describing Djokovic's achievements as genuinely inspirational.

"Not for only the players, the tennis players, but for the athletes around the world. For me as well," Alcaraz said of Djokovic's influence.

He added: "It's been an honour sharing the locker, sharing the court and, as I say, watching you play.

"So thank you very much for what you are doing because, as I said, it's really inspiring to me."