Do Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Andre Agassi look like they don't care about Olympic gold?: Serena Williams' ex-coach questions Patrick Mouratoglou
Serena Williams' former coach Rennae Stubbs mentioned Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, and Andre Agassi to rebuke Patrick Mouratoglou on his view that winning a medal at the Olympics is of less importance to tennis players than winning Grand Slam titles.
Mouratoglou, who has also coached Williams in the past, recently came out with an explosive statement undermining the significance of tennis being a part of the Olympics. He suggested the players cared more about winning Majors, saying:
"There is no real connection between tennis and the Olympic Games. A lot of tennis players don’t feel that it’s such an important event for tennis. Initially, tennis was at the Olympics, then it got out, and finally, tennis was reintroduced... They feel that a Grand Slam is 100 times more important for a tennis player than the Olympic Games."
Stubbs has apparently expressed her disagreement with Mouratoglou over the issue. She brought Djokovic into the conversation, whose only medal at the Olympics is a bronze that he won in Beijing in 2008. Since then, the Serb has vied for the gold in every edition of the Olympics but has failed.
Moreover, Djokovic was reduced to tears after an opening-round loss to Argentina's Juan Martin Del Potro in the Rio Olympics. Stubbs shared a picture of the Serb on X (formerly Twitter) from 2016 and questioned:
"Is this a guy that doesn’t care about playing and winning in the Olympics!??"
Stubbs also shared pictures of Roger Federer, Stan Wawrinka, and Andre Agassi who won gold medals for their country at the Olympics. She repeated:
"Do these guys look like they don’t care about winning gold medals at the Olympics??
Federer and Wawrinka won the doubles gold in Beijing in 2008. They defeated the American pair of Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan in the decider. Agassi defeated Sergi Bruguera in Atlanta (1996) to win the Olympics gold.
"I hope the best Olympic result for me will come there" - Novak Djokovic wishes to do better in Paris next year
Novak Djokovic will chase the so-far elusive Olympic gold medal in Paris next year. In his decorated tennis career, the Serb has accumulated every coveted trophy except the gold medal.
Not so long ago, he voiced his Olympics aspirations for the 2024 Paris edition.
"I look forward to the Olympics. I hope I'll be able to play healthy for next year in Paris. It's going to be played on clay at Roland Garros, so I'm familiar with those grounds. I hope the best Olympic result for me will come there," he said during the Dubai Tennis Championships in March.
Djokovic has vied to better his performance at the Olympics since 2008 but has failed every time. He finished fourth in 2012 at London and 2020 at Tokyo. The 2016 edition was the 24-time Grand Slam champion's worst outcome in the singles category as he finished 33rd in the tally.