"I really value that so much"- Serena Williams' ex-coach reveals why he 'loves' Novak Djokovic; cites an "unbelievable" quality in legendary Serb

Serena Williams' ex-coach Patrick Mouratoglou recently hailed Novak Djokovic, but the Frenchman's praise had less to do with the Serb's on-court prowess and more with his beliefs. Mouratoglou, currently working with Naomi Osaka, coached Williams from 2012 to 2022 and spearheaded the American's charge to 10 of her 23 singles Major titles.

On a recently-released episode of UTS Talk Show, Mouratoglou sat down for a chat with Nick Kyrgios, with the pair touching on a diverse array of subjects in the tennis world. At one point, the veteran coach laid bare his love for the former No. 1 and 24-time Grand Slam winner, saying:

"I really love him. Do you know what I love in him? He is probably the only tennis player that I have seen for very long. Huge champion. Who does not care. He has his beliefs and he stands with his beliefs, even if everyone is against him. This is unbelievable."

The Frenchman went on to highlight how Novak Djokovic isn't afraid to be himself in a world increasingly concerned with "following the trends".

"We are in a world where everybody is following the trends and scared to do something wrong. He is careful but when he believes in something, nothing is going to stop him. I think this is really, really special. I really value that so much, even more today with social media and everything," Mouratoglou added.

Novak Djokovic received vote of confidence from Serena Williams' former coach Patrick Mouratoglou ahead of Wimbledon 2025 SF clash against Jannik Sinner

Jannik Sinner (left) and Novak Djokovic (right) after the conclusion of their men's singles semifinal at the 2025 Wimbledon Championships (Source: Getty)

Djokovic was on the hunt for his eighth Wimbledon title and an all-time record 25th Grand Slam triumph at SW19 this year. The Serb made a deep run on the grass, going as far as the semis, where he set up a clash against reigning World No. 1 Jannik Sinner. In the buildup to the match, Serena Williams' former coach Patrick Mouratoglou picked Sinner as the favorite, but wasn't pessimistic about Djokovic's chances.

"The ability of Novak to raise his level when it comes to the big matches. I don’t know which Novak we’ll have in this semi-final. But, we can never count him out, because that’s how he made his career. He’s always been able to play an incredible level when it really counts," Mouratoglou told Tennis Majors.

Unfortunately for the 38-year-old Serb, the Italian made short work of him and eventually went on to defeat Carlos Alcaraz in the final. After losing to Sinner, the former No. 1 admitted that with age, it's getting harder for him to compete with his significantly younger rivals.

Edited by Sudipto Pati