Novak Djokovic’s former coach, Goran Ivanisevic, recently shared insights into the pressures and challenges of working with the world No. 1. Ivanisevic, who parted ways with the Serbian tennis star in March after a five-year partnership, jokingly admitted to taking sleeping pills during his tenure with Djokovic to manage the stress.
Earlier this year, Djokovic surprised the tennis community by announcing the end of his successful collaboration with Ivanisevic. The duo’s partnership began triumphantly when Djokovic won Wimbledon in 2019, the first tournament with Ivanisevic in his box.
“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,” the 24-time Grand Slam champion wrote on Instagram, following a conversation with Ivanisevic in Miami. The message highlighted the strong bond they shared despite the occasional tensions during matches.
Ivanisevic has now reflected on the immense pressure he experienced while coaching Djokovic. “I always had good [sleeping] tablets,” he told Blick. “No, seriously: you have pressure every day in this industry. But I was completely okay with it. You get used to the circumstances.”
Both hailing from the Balkans, Ivanisevic, from Croatia, and Djokovic, from Serbia, found common ground in their shared cultural background. Ivanisevic explained, “It helped that we both came from the Balkans. Novak and I are similar. I was always prepared for his possible reactions.”
Coaching a player of Djokovic’s caliber brought significant expectations. “Well, when you train Novak Djokovic, anything other than winning the title at any tournament is a failure. That’s a lot of pressure to deal with,” Ivanisevic, a former world No. 2, remarked.
After ending his stint with Djokovic, Ivanisevic expressed his plans to take the summer off before coaching a new, younger player. Meanwhile, Djokovic has been working with Nenad Zimonjic, another prominent figure in the tennis world.
Ivanisevic’s candid revelations shed light on the intense demands of coaching an elite athlete and underscore the strength of his and Djokovic’s enduring friendship despite the professional pressures.
Novak Djokovic in 2024
LWWWWWWLWW Now the world no.1, Novak played his last match on the 12th of May when he was overcome by world no.25 Alejandro Tabilo 6-2 6-3 in the 3rd round in Rome (draw).
At the moment, during this season Djokovic achieved an overall 12-5 win-loss record. Novak Djokovic’s best result of the current season was getting to the semifinal at the Australian Open and Monte Carlo.
Djokovic won 99 titles in his career: 53 on hard courts, 19 on clay courts, 19 on indoor courts and 8 on grass courts. (See the list of his titles)
Djokovic is scheduled to play next at the French Open (French Open). He will start the tournament from the main draw that will commence on the 26th of May.
Novak Djokovic |
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