"Novak Djokovic is the perfect example of how you should professionally behave to become the best player in the world" - Patrick Mouratoglou
Renowned coach Patrick Mouratoglou has described Novak Djokovic's Covid-19 vaccine stance as "courageous" and believes the Serb's choice illustrates why he is a great champion. Mouratoglou also labeled the 20-time Grand Slam champion as the "perfect example" of how to behave to become the best tennis player in the world.
In a recent interview with the BBC, Djokovic revealed that he would rather miss out on winning Major titles than compromise his principles by unwillingly taking the COVID-19 vaccine to compete. The 34-year-old missed the Australian Open in January following his deportation from the country, after a two-week saga over his vaccination status and visa.
Djokovic was beaten by Jiri Vesely in the quarterfinals of the Dubai Tennis Championships last week in his first event of 2022. He lost the World No. 1 position to Daniil Medvedev when this week's ATP rankings were released on Monday.
In a video posted on his YouTube channel, Mouratoglou defended Djokovic's decision to remain unvaccinated against Covid-19.
"I think that Novak's choice is courageous," Mouratgolou said. "He explains to the entire world why he is such a champion. He is not scared by what is going to happen to him and he accepts the consequences of it. People can have the feeling that he puts tennis second and in a way he does - for the first time in his life probably. He probably believes that the other quest is bigger than tennis."
The Frenchman, who coaches legendary American Serena Williams, then reiterated his respect for the Serb for sticking to his strong beliefs.
"He now knows that not being vaccinated puts him at risk of not becoming the greatest player of all time," Mouratoglou continued. "And knowing that, he says - 'I keep my line, I'm not gonna get vaccinated.' Unfortunately, we live in a world where we don't respect the belief of the people so much, and I think it's a great asset to stick to what you deeply believe. He doesn't believe in vaccination, which again, is his right."
Mouratoglou went on to laud the World No. 2's meticulous approach to managing his body and diet, while pinpointing him as an ideal example to follow.
"He has spent his whole life making sure that his body is in the best possible shape, going into details that you have no idea about," Mouratoglou added. "When you have lunch with Novak once in your life, you know how much he weighs every single element that goes in his plate - the quantity of everything, the quality of everything. That's incredible. He is the perfect example of how you should professionally behave to become the best player in the world. He is obesessed with that."
"The more you attack Novak Djokovic, the more he is defending himself" - Patrick Mouratoglou
Patrick Mouratoglou also addressed the negative reaction Novak Djokovic could face from fans during matches due to his vaccine status. The 34-year-old did, though, receive strong crowd support during his matches in Dubai last week.
"He has a lot of people against him," Mouratoglou said. "And we know that for the top athletes it's very difficult to have a lot of people against you because you are competing in stadiums. The role of the crowd is the key, it's natural to want to be loved and embraced by the crowd."
The 51-year-old then declared that he felt Djokovic would respond positively to criticism over his choice.
"The statement he made about not wanting to be vaccinated, he knows millions of people were going to be extremely aggressive against him," Mouratoglou added. "As a lot of people that are very strongly minded, the more you attack them - because he can feel being attacked - the more he is defending himself. I call it a competitor."
Quite the reception for Novak Djokovic in Dubai https://t.co/xvSeTwuMj0