Novak Djokovic is one of the best tennis players of all time and
Patrick Mouratoglou took to his Youtube channel to explain what made the Serbian so good.
Besides the talent and everything else that goes into being a professional player such as hard work and patience, Mouratoglou has always seen a lot of bravery in Djokovic. It's something that is visibly in his on-court and off-court behaviour. The French coach explained it using the Australian Open fiasco as an example. He said:
"I think that Novak's choice is courageous. 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."
Mouratoglou was referencing his unwillingness to get vaccinated which will affect his tennis legacy as he won't be able to play at multiple events because of it. It's that courage to stick to what he believes in that got him to the place where he is now. Speaking further on the topic, Mouratoglou added:
"There is no guarantee that Djokovic will be able to play the next
Grand Slams but it's the price he is willing to pay. He now knows
that not being vaccinated puts him at risk of not becoming the greatest
player of all time. 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."