Goran Ivanisevic opens up about his split from Novak Djokovic
Jul 11, 2023; London, United Kingdom; Goran Ivanisevic in attendance for the Novak Djokovic (SRB) and Andrey Rublev match on day nine at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. Mandatory Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports
Goran Ivanisevic and Novak Djokovic announced last week that they have parted ways after five years of working together. This week, Ivanisevic opened up about his split from Djokovic in an interview that was published on Wednesday.
Ivanisevic spoke with Saša Ozmo of Sport Klub regarding the split. Those who were hoping for fireworks will be left disappointed.
Ivanisevic said there was no big moment that led to them parting ways. Rather, there was a mutual feeling that their coach/player relationship had run its course.
“So yes, we reached a certain level of saturation, as I like to say: ‘material fatigue,’ just as a car needs a regular service and tune up, basically I became tired of him, he became tired of me; in any case I didn’t feel like I could help him anymore. Even so, when we add it all up together, we achieved great things for ourselves and for tennis,” Ivanisevic said, according to a translation from Tennis Majors.
Djokovic is known for yelling at his team throughout his matches. That’s part of what it means to be a member of his family or support staff cheering him on at a match. Ivanisevic said that part didn’t bother him, because he knew it was part of the job, and something they agreed was allowed. But Ivanisevic said the tough schedule, intense competitions, and all they went through during the COVID shutdowns amounted to a lot in their five years together.
What also didn’t help was Djokovic losing in five sets in the finals to Carlos Alcaraz at Wimbledon last year, the semifinal loss to Jannik Sinner at the Australian Open this year, and the loss to Luca Nardi at Indian Wells. All of those defeats bred discontent with Djokovic and played a role in Djokovic and Ivanisevic feeling like their time as player and coach was coming to an end.
Ivanisevic also recommends that Djokovic work with Nenad Zimonjic moving forward.
Ivanisevic: "I think Zimonjic is perfect coach for Novak, he's a friend of mine and I love him very much. Mine theory is that Novak can be coached only by some who knows him well"
"I spoke to Ziki already, he can give Novak different approach on some things"#NoleFam #Djokovic pic.twitter.com/4V597vHYhJ
— Wolfy (@BigBadWolfWolfy) April 2, 2024
Despite their split, Djokovic won nine majors during their time together, including two years (2021 and 2023) where he won three majors and lost in the finals in the fourth. Djokovic really could not have played a whole let better than he did during his time working with Ivanisevic.