Novak Djokovic is on the lookout for a new coach.
That is, after the announcement just yesterday morning, which revealed that he and Goran Ivanisevic had gone their separate ways.
It was a shocking revelation, but one that did make sense after the struggling start to 2024 that they had endured.
This feels like the first time in so long that we will enter the Clay Court season without having seen Djokovic lift a title of note.
This is something he will want to change, although this decision has drawn mass interest.
Boris Becker reacts to Novak Djokovic’s coaching news
Having coached Djokovic from 2013 to 2016, Boris Becker was swift to weigh in on the shocking news that he had parted with Ivanisevic.
The Serbian would write on Instagram: ‘Goran and I decided to stop working together a few days ago. Our on court chemistry had its ups and downs, but our friendship was always rock solid.’
This duo had enjoyed a hugely successful partnership together, and Becker sought to highlight that.
The German, who helped Djokovic to claim six Grand Slams and 14 Masters 1000 titles across that aforementioned period, was a hugely influential figure in his progression as a tennis superstar.
And he has since noted, rather briefly: ‘Goran did great job with Nole !’
A hugely successful partnership with Goran Ivanisevic
As a player who enjoyed his own success, what he managed to translate to Djokovic clearly worked wonders, as the Croatian outlasted Becker and arguably left a greater legacy.
After all, he joined up with the 36-year-old back in 2019, having only just parted ways.
Across that illustrious period, in which the 24-time Grand Slam champion seemingly broke every record that was left to break, Djokovic would win a further three Australian Opens, three Wimbledon titles, two French Opens, one US Open and two ATP Finals. Not bad.
It’s certainly fair to say that Ivanisevic enjoyed a far more profitable spell coaching Novak than he did with Marin Cilic, Tomas Berdych or Milos Raonic, all of whom are top players in their own right.
But nobody compares to Djokovic, and this near-five-year spell of success alone would outrank what most players will accomplish across an entire career.
His start to the season has been far from ideal, but these two can look back on what they accomplished with incredible fondness. After all, this is a team that has created history, with Juan Martin del Potro outlining what he needs to go even further.
They are likely far from finished yet.
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