Serena Williams’s ex-coach Patrick Mouratoglou has shed some light on why Novak Djokovic faces boos from the crowd.
Novak Djokovic is used to receiving boos from the crowd and it is not because of his bad performance or any misconduct of any kind. Tennis fans are more interested in seeing Djokovic lose rather than win.
In a recent interview, Mouratoglou came up with a reason to which tennis fans might agree. He said that it has been happening since Djokovic started beating the already-established superstars Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.
With the Serb challenging and beating them, there was a shift in the emotions of the fans, and they started hating them. It continues to date after Roger Federer is retired and Rafael Nadal is struggling with injury.Â
The most recent incident was from the Davis Cup when the 24-time Grand Slam winner was involved in a heated exchange with Great Britain fans in their semifinal clash. Another incident was also a week prior to that during the Nitto ATP finals when he faced Jannik Sinner in the finals.
Novak Djokovic is orchestrating the boos heâs receiving in the stadium in his match against Jannik Sinner đ
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) November 14, 2023
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“Rafa and Roger were the biggest superstars of tennis, but Novak Djokovic came in and beat both of them and the crowds hated him for that. I think he is booed for other reasons as well.”   Â
-Patrick Mouratoglou in an interview
Mouratglou mentioned that Djokovic also sometimes pushes the crowd to boo as it helps him to fuel up during matches. He also defended and justified by saying that the guy has 14 million followers on Instagram and is one of the biggest names in tennis.Â
He says he doesnât like this negativity, but sometimes he pushes the crowd to boo him because it helps him during the matches. What we should not forget is he has 14 million followers on Instagram, he is a huge hero in Serbia. He is the biggest name in tennis & we will miss him when he stops playing the sport.
– Patrick Mouratoglou in an interview
Simona Halep hasn’t spoken to Patrick Mouratoglou since her doping ban
Simona Halep hasn’t spoken to her ex-coach Patrick Mouratoglou as she awaits a ruling on her four-year doping ban. The 32-year-old feels that her tennis career will be over if the Court of Arbitration rules against her.
Four years is going to be a lot for my age. It’s catastrophic if its going to be four years. And I don’t know how will I handle it. Probably it’s going to be (the) end of (my) career, yes.
-Simona halep in an interview
Halep tested positive for the drug Roxadustat last year at the 2022 US Open and was also cited for the irregularities in her passport. She mentioned in a recent interview that she hasn’t spoken to Mouratoglou ‘since a few months’. He held himself responsible for Halep’s dismal condition in a video posted on Instagram in November.
We brought her collagen from a company. This collagen happened to be contaminated. There was no way to know it. But, I feel responsible for what happened because it’s my team- so me, basically- who brought her this collagen.
-Patrick Mouratoglou on Instagram