"My cat could coach Novak Djokovic and do a good job": Andy Roddick assesses Serb's prospects after Goran Ivanisevic split, backs Boris Becker reunion
Andy Roddick has weighed in on Novak Djokovic's coaching prospects following his split with former coach Goran Ivanisevic.
Djokovic recently parted ways with Ivanisevic after a successful six-year partnership, during which they won 12 Grand Slam titles together. The duo began working together in 2018, with Ivanisevic replacing Marian Vajda as the Serb's head coach in 2022.
On the 'Served with Andy Roddick podcast,' Roddick shared his thoughts on who could fill the vacancy left by the Croatian. However, before revealing his choices, the American questioned whether Novak Djokovic needs a coach at all, joking that even his cat could lead the World No. 1 to victory.
"But it’s already weirdly framed question because, does he need a coach? Like I think my cat could coach him and do a pretty good job, probably win a bunch of matches" he said (at 34:08).
Nevertheless, Roddick proposed Marian Vajda as the ideal candidate, citing Vajda's successful partnership with the Serb from 2006–2017 and 2018–2022. He suggested that the 36-year-old wouldn't want to experiment with his coaching setup right before the French Open and Wimbledon.
"But, the thing is, he’s 36. It’s a weird moment where does he think he’s in there with these other three superhumans. I think that you would want someone, I don’t think you would do a trial run with no coach before Roland Garros and Wimbledon," he said. "If I’m Novak and won that many Slams, I would want something that’s consistent where I didn’t feel like I was getting to know someone."
"So my mind automatically goes to Marian Vajda because that’s the guy who’s in and then he’s out and then he’s sometimes back in, it seems like this consistent insurance policy. And he’s, more so than anyone else, helped develop Novak and turn him into the person and not just tag along on other successes," he added.
The former World No. 1 also threw Boris Becker's hat in the ring, highlighting the German's success with Djokovic when coaching the 24-time Grand Slam champion from 2013 to 2016.
"You know another name that Novak, to his credit, really stood by during rough times, who didn’t work in his most recent coaching gig, is Boris Becker. They had a lot of success and so if I’m Novak and I have a hitting partner and I have all this infrastructure, maybe I don’t need someone there all the time," Roddick said.
"But at Wimbledon, if you’re breaking down a matchup, even if it’s just confirmation bias, like, I’m going into this and I think this’ and Becker goes, ‘Well, yeah I see that too,’ that holds a lot of water in the psyche of an athlete," he added.
Andy Roddick: "I would be shocked if Novak Djokovic takes a swing and brings someone entirely new"
Despite endorsing Boris Becker as Goran Ivanisevic's replacement, Andy Roddick admitted that he's unaware of the reasons behind Novak Djokovic and Becker's split and whether there are any unresolved issues between them.
Drawing from his own experience of parting ways with Brad Gilbert during his playing days, the former World No. 1 acknowledged the challenge of moving past such splits.
"For me, outside looking in, that seems like a very comfortable landing spot that has proven successes. Now, I don’t exactly know why they stopped in the first place so you don’t know if there’s any scar tissue that’s unspoken," he said.
"You know, Brad and I broke up and it was pretty rough for a couple of years, we eventually got over it. So, you think enough time passes, it’d be worth revisiting," he added.
Roddick also said that he would be shocked if Djokovic chooses someone entirely new to be his coach, suggesting that the 24-time Grand Slam champion would prefer someone who's already familiar with his approach.
"If I’m Novak, I got to think I would bring in someone who at least knows the way I operate, who knows the rest of the team around me. I would be shocked if he takes a swing and brings someone entirely new," Roddick said.
With Novak Djokovic set to compete at the Monte-Carlo Masters next, which commences on April 7, it remains to be seen whether the Serb will have a new addition to his coaching team at the claycourt tournament.