Novak Djokovic's recent history of laying off his team: From firing his management to shocking split with long-time coach Goran Ivanisevic
Novak Djokovic recently announced his decision to part ways with his longtime coach Goran Ivanisevic. In a statement issued on Wednesday, March 27, the Serb stated on Instagram:
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. In fact, not only we brought serve, but also lots of laughter, fun, year end no1 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 "🤫
The 24-time Grand Slam champion thus ended his six-year-old professional association with Ivanisevic, a former singles World No. 2. His tenure with the 52-year-old Croat coincided with a purple patch in his career that yielded 12 Grand Slam titles.
In fact, the success was definitely more than just a coincidence. The success the Serb has enjoyed in his thirties can partially be attributed to Ivanisevic. The Croat had one of the most lethal serves of all time and played his part in honing Djokovic’s serve, too.
Novak Djokovic has sacked his staff previously as well:
This is not the first time Djokovic has decided to end his professional association with some of his staff members. He parted ways with coach Marian Vajda for the second time in 2022. Prior to that, he had fired his entire team in 2017, which Vajda was again a part of, before he was reappointed as his coach a year later.
The Serb also ended a 15-year-long association with agent-cum-manager Eduardo Artaldi in 2023. The 36-year-old's relentless quest for excellence and insatiable hunger for success means that he is not hesitant to make important decisions concerning his career.
Moreover, Ivanisevic was a maverick as a player and has a reputation for speaking his mind, which may not have always sat well with Djokovic — although there is nothing concrete to suggest this and the World No. 1 has always spoken highly of his now ex-coach in public.
Djokovic’s recent slump in form could be a reason:
As far as the Serb is concerned, the unthinkable occurred this January when he lost in the semifinals of the Australian Open — his favorite Major — to Jannik Sinner. Then, he suffered a shock three-set loss to 20-year-old Italian Luca Nardi in the third round of the Indian Wells Masters.
Djokovic's underwhelming run on slow hard courts, which is his bread-and-butter surface, has raised questions over his sustained dominance in the sport. He now has younger rivals such as Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz breathing down his neck and hence, cannot afford to take his defeats lightly, especially if he wants to end his career on a high.
Moreover, this is also the year of the Olympics. A gold medal at the Games has eluded the Serb so far and this year could present the last chance for him to fill that gap in his CV.
This may have also been a reason behind his decision to sack Ivanisevic as his coach, perhaps in the search for a new approach to tackle his newfound rivals. However, it is quite unusual for a player to make such changes during the twilight of his career.