‘He Refused to Cheat’ – Serena Williams’ Coach Lauds Novak Djokovic for His Authenticity

Arguably one of the greatest tennis players of all time, Novak Djokovic had a pretty torrid 2022 so far. Due to the ongoing pandemic, almost every tournament implemented vaccine mandates. Meanwhile, Djokovic’s decision to not take the vaccine has cost him from playing at the Australian Open.

Because of this, the Serbian player received a lot of criticism from fans and fellow players and more. Recently, Serena Williams’ coach Patrick Mouratoglou has come out in support of Novak, as he feels Novak is true to himself and really authentic.

Patrick Mouratoglou praises Novak Djokovic for his authenticity

In the past, many people doubted Novak’s authenticity both on the court and off the court. People are still criticizing him now because of the whole saga in Australia. However, Patrick Mouratoglou defended Novak in the latest Instagram video. 

“I think it’s going to be a game-changer and people will realize, thanks to what is happening now, that he is a much more authentic guy than they ever thought he was. Maybe he made a few mistakes in terms of communication that lead people to think that he is not authentic, but I believe that acts always speak louder than words. A lot of people are good at pretending they’re authentic, but I look at what they do, not at what they say. And in his case, I think that his acts speak much louder than what he might have said, it’s going to be a game-changer and I think people will realize who Novak is really,” Patrick said. 

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Patrick also praised Novak for not cheating to play at the Australian Open, as he stayed true to himself. “I think it would have been extremely easy for someone like Novak to have a doctor sign the papers saying he’s vaccinated, even though he’s not, and nobody would ever know about it… He refused to cheat… I think it’s an extremely high and strong message of someone who is true to his values, true to his beliefs, and authentic,” Patrick also stated. 

Novak gets a great news

In 2022, Novak only played one tournament at the Dubai Open, where he lost in the Quarter-final. His participation in Grand Slam events was in doubt because of the vaccine mandate. However, after a recent statement released by the French Government, Djokovic is free to play at the French Open this year.

He could potentially play at Wimbledon as well. However, his participation at the US Open and any other tournaments in the United States is still questionable.

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Can Novak defend his title at the French Open? Let us know in the comments.