With his triumph in the clay court major event, Novak Djokovic has already etched his position at the top of the Grand Slam standings in the men’s circuit. But over two decades ago, the tennis community saw it as an impossible task for the Serbian tennis star to achieve such a remarkable feat. It is because the 36-year-old player made his debut during a period when the likes of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal were already a force to be reckoned with on the court.

Djokovic, however, later disproved all the doubters with his extraordinary athleticism and self-belief. Now, speaking about his rise to prominence on the ATP Tour, the legendary coach, Patrick Mouratoglou has come forward to candidly speak about how the Serb was initially perceived as a player with a ‘cocky’ attitude.

The legendary coach shed light on the criticism faced by Novak Djokovic

In an interview with Vogue, the 53-year-old coach was all praises for the reigning French Open champion while he also talked about the scrutiny from his naysayers. Patrick Mouratoglou asserted that the Serbian tennis star has reached unprecedented levels with his incredible physical ability, self-belief, and competitiveness. However, the French coach acknowledged that it was quite a challenging task for him as he had to compete against the likes of Federer and Nadal.

As the Serb’s arch-rivals, were winning “absolutely everything,” they firmly established their supremacy in the men’s circuit. Novak Djokovic, on the other hand, received jeers when he declared, ?I?m going to beat those two guys?I?m going to be number one,” after his debut at the age of 20.

Mouratoglou also reminisced about the period when the 36-year-old was being labeled as a “cocky” player. He said, “I remember journalists writing articles saying, ?Who?s this guy? He?s so cocky.? And he answered them. Many years later, he said, ?I?m not cocky?I just believe in myself.?

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This is not the first time that the legendary coach has been effusive in his praise, as he previously put him in the ‘G.O.A.T’ category.

Mouratoglou previously hailed the Serb while calling him the ‘greatest’

Prior to his triumph in the French Open, Djokovic was one title away from equalling the Open Era Grand Slam record in both the men’s and women’s circuits. However, the 53-year-old coach was already certain that the Serb will clinch another major title after his clay court encounter in Paris. In doing so, Mouratoglou said that he will join Serena Williams (23) in the ‘G.O.A.T’ category.

Eventually, Djokovic won his victory at the French Open, managing to pull off the incredible ‘Open Era Grand Slam’ feat in the tennis circuit.

What do you think of the legendary coach’s major assertions about Djokovic? Let us know in the comments section.

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