"I'm lucky to be training a genius" - Novak Djokovic the best tennis player of all time and one of the best athletes ever, says coach Goran Ivanisevic
Novak Djokovic's coach Goran Ivanisevic believes that the Serb is the best tennis player and one of the best athletes of all time. Ivanisevic considers himself "lucky" to be working with the Serb.
Djokovic and Ivanisevic have been a powerful player and coach pair ever since they began working together in 2019. Apart from nine Grand Slams, Djokovic has won trophies at the Rome Open, Tel Aviv Open, Astana Open, Nitto ATP Finals, and the Adelaide International while training with the Croatian.
Ivanisevic has helped the 36-year-old grab the Australian Open and Wimbledon thrice each, two trophies at the French Open, and one at the US Open. Under his tutelage, Djokovic has made history by becoming the first player to win 24 Grand Slams in the Open era.
The Croatian coach spoke highly of his protege at the Entrepreneurial Attitude conference, saying that he was “‘lucky” to have Novak Djokovic as a student and describing the 36-year-old as "the best tennis player of all time" and "one of the best athletes ever." He went on to emphasize that it's not about how far you get in a tournament, but rather about how many games you win.
“I am lucky to be training a genius, the best tennis player of all time and one of the best athletes ever. It's unfortunate that only wins count. The final is no good, it's like you didn't even come to the tournament," Ivanisevic said.
The eight-time Grand Slam winner explained that he and Djokovic shared a high level of understanding due to their shared Eastern European heritage.
“It's easier for me because we come from this area. I understand a lot of the things he's going to do and I'm prepared for them in advance. I also did some, but now as a coach I need to be more calm and composed,” he said.
“He’s not an easy guy” - Goran Ivanisevic on working with Novak Djokovic
After Novak Djokovic beat Casper Ruud to secure his third French Open title this year, Ivanisevic provided some insight into working with the 24-time Grand Slam winner. Ivanisevic addressed the media after Djokovic's triumph and shared that the Serb was "not an easy guy" to work with. However, he stated that he would always be there by the Serb's side when the going gets tough, to act as an absorber.
“He chained us with handcuffs for three days,” Ivanisevic said. “He's not an easy guy, let's put it this way. He is not an easy guy. Especially when something's not going his way. But we are here to put our back and to get beaten, you know. That's what the team is for. We are here for him to feel better, for him to perform better. Sometimes it is not easy. Sometimes it's very complicated."
The 52-year-old highlighted the tournaments in which Djokovic couldn't quite hit his stride and talked about the Serb's reactions to his own squad.
“But overall, this is for what you live, the tournaments like this, the finishing like this. It was not easy. It was not an easy journey. You know we started in Monte-Carlo, Banja Luka. Rome was a little better but still away from his real form. He was torturing us, taking our nails off. A lot of more things but I cannot tell you that. But we are still here, we're alive. My heart is still okay. I'm an old man, I need to be careful of my heart. So he's okay,” he added.