Novak Djokovic has announced that he is no longer working with Goran Ivanisevic following a mutual agreement between the two.
The world No.1 had been working with the former Wimbledon champion since 2018 and won half of his 24 Grand Slam titles with the Croat in his team. Ivanisevic has been a key figure in the Djokovic camp in recent years and has spoken candidly about their collaboration on multiple occasions. He has described the tennis star as a ‘genius’ in the sport but admits that he isn’t always the easiest player to work with.
Djokovic’s shock announcement comes after what has been a steady start to the season for the Serbian who is yet to win a title on the Tour. At the Australian Open, he reached the semi-finals before losing to Jannik Sinner, who went on to claim the title. More recently in Indian Wells, he suffered a third round loss to Luca Nardi. He then opted to not play Miami due to scheduling issues and is now training on the clay.
“I remember clearly the moment I invited Goran to be part of my team. It was back in 2018, and Marian and I were looking to innovate and bring some serve magic to our duo,” Djokovic wrote on Instagram.
“In fact, not only we brought serve, but also lots of laughter, fun, year end No.1 rankings, record-breaking achievements and 12 more Grand Slams (and a few finals) to the count since then. Did I mention a bit of drama too? #Nolefam would know
“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. In fact, I am proud to say (not sure he is ) that apart from winning tournaments together, we also had a side battle in Parchisi going on… for many years. And – that tournament never stops for us.
“Šefinjo, thanks for everything my friend. Love you.”
Ivanisevic, who has been ranked as high as No.2 in the world during his playing career, is yet to publicly comment on the split. Before mentoring Djokovic, he also worked with Marin Cilic, Tomas Berdych and Milos Raonic.
There is yet to be any comment on who will be replacing Ivanisevic in Djokovic’s team.
Djokovic, who will turn 37 in May, is scheduled to return to competitive tennis at the Monte Carlo Masters next month.
