Novak Djokovic’s turbulent start to the season shows no signs of stopping after a major change to his coaching team was confirmed on Tuesday.
In a statement the world No.2 announced that he has split with coach Marian Vajda for the second time in his career. Slovakian-born Vajda has been instrumental in Djokovic’s development after working with him during almost all of his career. The only exception was in 2017 when they broke up during what was an injury-stricken season for the 20-time Grand Slam champion before they reunited the following year.
The agreement to end their partnership was made following the conclusion of the ATP Finals in November but has only now been made public. Under Vajda’s guidance, Djokovic has spent a record 361 weeks as world No.1.
“Marian has been by my side during the most important and memorable moments in my career,” Djokovic said in the post. “Together we have achieved some incredible things and I am very grateful for his friendship and dedication over the last 15 years. While he might be leaving the professional team he will always be family and I can’t thank him enough for all he has done.”
Vajda is a former tennis player himself, who represented both Czechoslovakia and Slovakia at Tour level. He reached the third round of the 1991 French Open and competed at the Olympic Games the following year. After retiring, he established himself as a successful coach and was his country’s Davis Cup captain. In 2018 he was named the coach of the year by the ATP.
“During my time with Novak, I have been lucky to watch him transform into the player he is today. I will look back on our time together with immense pride and am so very thankful for the success we have achieved,” Vajda said in the post on Djokovic’s site. “I remain his biggest support on and off the court and I look forward to new challenges.”
The exact reason for the separation is unclear but it has been noted that in recent times Vajda has taken more of a back seat in the coaching of Djokovic. Going forward the Serbian will continue to work alongside Goran Ivaisevic but it is unclear if somebody else might be brought in to fill Vajda’s position.
Earlier this week, Djokovic’s reign at the top of the ATP rankings ended after he was overtaken by US Open champion Daniil Medvedev. He has only played one tournament so far this season after being deported from Australia following a high-profile legal dispute over the legitimacy of his visa.
In another development this week, it has been confirmed that one of Djokovic’s top sponsors will no longer be working with him. Car Manufacturer Peugeot say they “will not continue with the sponsorship of Djokovic.” The decision has been confirmed by Carlos Tavares, the CEO of the Stellantis STLA Group which owns Peugeot. The reason behind the decision isn’t clear but Serbian journalist Sasa Ozmo reports Djokovic’s “stance on vaccination is not the reason.”
It is curious as to why Puegot has made their decision now. On February 17th Reuters News Agency spoke with a source connected to the business which confirmed that Djokovic would be wearing their logo on his clothes whilst playing at the Dubai Tennis Championships last week. The unnamed individual said Puegot had ‘taken note of Mr. Djokovic’s statements (about the COVID-19 vaccine) and is glad that he has expressed himself.”
Djokovic has previously said that he is willing to miss tournaments in the future if they require him to have a mandatory COVID-19 vaccine.
