"Djokovic is Djokovic, and he will remain so regardless of participation or non-participation in the Australian Open" - Daniil Medvedev's former coach Jean-Rene Lisnard
Daniil Medvedev's youth coach and former ATP player Jean-Rene Lisnard is of the opinion that Novak Djokovic's Australian Open participation is immaterial in deciding his greatness and that the controversy surrounding his stance on COVID vaccines should not invalidate the Serb's claim to GOAT-dom.
Speaking in a recent interview with Russia's Sport Express, Lisnard was asked about his thoughts on the 21-time Grand Slam champion being denied a visa into Australia earlier this year. The Monegasque sided with Djokovic in his fight for bodily autonomy, stating that it was only the Melbourne Major that suffered from his absence and not the other way around.
"Djokovic is Djokovic, and he will remain so regardless of participation or non-participation in the Australian Open. He is Superovich!" he said. "If he does not play in this or that tournament, what will happen to him? Only the tournament will suffer. He fights for his rights - and I think he is right."
The former World No. 84 went on to hail the 35-year-old for his honesty, saying that he deserved a lot of respect for his decision to "call a spade a spade" even if it went against public sentiment.
"Before, I didn’t really like him, but the further this whole situation went, the more sympathy I felt for him. He is the only one in this tennis world who can call a spade a spade and do what he wants," he said. "This commands great respect."
At the same time, Lisnard admitted that the former World No. 1 had the freedom to do so due to his extraordinary success on the tennis court, a luxury young players on tour could not afford as it would be detrimental to their future.
"It is easier for Novak to do this than for young tennis players, because he has already won everything that is possible. If he was a 20-year-old player, if he were at the beginning of his journey, the situation would be different," he said. "However, in any case, he can afford what no one else can."
"Why Novak Djokovic suffers? Because politicians do not like it when a person is famous and does something against them" - Jean-Rene Lisnard
Jean-Rene Lisnard further noted during the interview that the whole situation around COVID was "sheer hypocrisy," lamenting that the decision not to allow Novak Djokovic into the US Open was a political stunt as well.
"In general, the whole situation around covid is sheer hypocrisy. Djokovic could not enter the same US Open, although there have long been no anti-covid restrictions in the US itself," he said. "But for foreigners, vaccination is mandatory. Why he suffers? Because politicians do not like it when a person is famous and does something against them."
The Monegasque claimed that most tennis players agree with the Serb over his vaccination stance but refuse to say it out loud only because they are afraid of public backlash.
"Most tennis players and tennis players participating in the tour agreed with him in that situation, but no one could say it out loud. Such is the world now. Covid is the same as the events in Ukraine," he said. "You can only say what is expected of you, and if you think something else, you cannot say it. Otherwise, you will have problems."