Novak Djokovic has admitted that he could play in the Tour without a main coach following the ending of his collaboration with Goran Ivanisevic.
Earlier this week, the 24-time Grand Slam champion confirmed that he and Ivanisevic has reached a mutual agreement to end their partnership. The Croat was a member of Djokovic’s team between 2018-2024 and guided him to a series of major achievements. In a statement, the tennis star stated that the two remain good friends.
The development comes after what has been a somewhat disappointing start to the season for the world No.1, who has played in just two ATP singles tournaments. At the Australian Open, he reached the semi-finals before losing to Jannik Sinner, who has now beaten him in three out of their four most recent meetings. Then in Indian Wells, he suffered a surprise third round loss to Luca Nardi.
Speaking to the media for the first time since his announcement, Djokovic explained that he had ‘exhausted’ his partnership with Ivanisevic.
“First of all, Goran is my friend for life, mine and of my family’s”, Tennis Majors quoted Djokovic as telling reporters during a press conference dedicated to Legend, a documentary about Nikki Pilic. “He is a very dear person to me, the end of our professional collaboration doesn’t mean that our friendship stops.”
“Our separation has been positive, as positive as a separation can be. We have come to a point where we’ve exhausted our cooperation after almost five years.”
“Together, we’ve written history of our sport, we have won Slams, ended seasons as number one in the world, but we went through trials and tribulations as well – disqualification at the US Open, deportation from Australia… I will always remember that he was there for me as a person, as a human being, first and foremost, and that he brought the right set of values into our relationship. That kind of chemistry was followed by great results. I wish Goran all the best.”
As for what is next for Djokovic, he appears to be in no hurray to find himself a replacement coach and is considering the option of going solo. However, he will still be supported by other members of his team such as fitness trainer Marco Panichi and agent/sparring partner Carlos Gomez Herrera.
“I still don’t have a clear idea who a new coach would be, or whether there will be one at all”, Djokovic said. “I’ve had coaches since I was a kid, now I am trying to feel by myself what I need, what I feel most comfortable with. You will be informed in case someone joins the team.”
Djokovic is set to return to competitive tennis next month at the Monte Carlo Masters. He currently has 98 ATP titles to his name which is the third-highest in history after Roger Federer (103) and Jimmy Connors (109).
