Former World No. 1 Novak Djokovic has officially confirmed his split with coach Radek Stepanek just a week after ending his association with American great Andre Agassi, who was working with him as a ‘super coach’.
The Serbian has had a torrid time on the court since making his return to action in January after spending six months on the sidelines in 2017. He was defeated by rising South Korean star Hyeon Chung in the fourth round of the Australian Open and then lost his opening round matches at the Indian Wells and the Miami Masters Taro Daniel and Benoit Paire.
Although experts claim that his poor run of form is the result of his lengthy layoff from the game and the elbow injury, which troubled him until he underwent a minor surgery after the Grand Slam of the Asia Pacific, Djokovic is getting really frustrated with his play that has seen him lose three successive matches on the ATP tour for the first time in more than a decade.
Last weekend, Agassi had announced that he and Djokovic had ended their partnership.
A statement released on Djokovic’s official website said, “After Miami, Novak Djokovic and his tennis coach Radek Stepanek decided to end their co-operation.
“The private relationship with Stepanek was and will remain great, and Novak has enjoyed working with him and learning from him. He remains grateful and appreciative of all the support he has received from Radek during the last period.
“Novak remains focused and eager to come back stronger and more resilient from [a] long injury break that has affected his confidence and game. He is continuously and passionately looking for new and different ways to regain [his] winning form.
“Djokovic will upon his short holiday with a family start his preparations for the clay season and upcoming tournaments. ‘The cooperation between Novak and Andre Agassi has also ended.”
The 12-time Grand Slam champion is scheduled to participate in the Monte Carlo Masters, which will get underway on 15 April. He is expected to compete without a coach in the tournament and in the majority of the upcoming clay-court events ahead of the French Open, which begins on 27 May in Paris.
