The almost unnatural partnership between the whimsical former player Goran Ivasinevic and the meticulous world No. 1 Novak Djokovic is now over. It lasted six years. “Goran and I decided to stop working together a few days ago,” posted the man at the 24 Grand Slams. Our on-court understanding has had its ups and downs, but our friendship has always been rock solid. »
The Croatian, winner of Wimbledon in 2001, former very large server, joined his management in 2018. The Serb, who was still coached by the Slovenian Marian Vajda, his long-time coach, until the start of 2022, notably won twelve Grand Slam titles since. “I clearly remember the moment I invited Goran to be part of my team,” Djokovic recalled. It was 2018, and Marian (Vajda) and I were looking to innovate and bring some magic to the service for our duo. In fact, we have not only brought the service, but also a lot of laughter, fun, No. 1 rankings at the end of the year, records to break and 12 other Grand Slams (and a few finals) under our belt since then. during. »
Goran Ivasinevic reacted on Instagram by sharing a photo published in ‘story’ by Novak Djokovic, where the 36-year-old Serbian thanks him “for everything”. At his side, “Djoko” became the record holder for victories in Grand Slam tournaments (24), the Masters 1000 (40) and the end-of-year Masters (7). Ivanisevic also experienced the episode of the expulsion of his player from Australia in January 2022 due to his non-vaccination against Covid.
“In fact, I’m proud to say (I’m not sure if he is) that in addition to winning tournaments together, we also had a side battle in Parchisi… for many years. And this tournament never stops for us,” commented Djokovic in reference to their many games of this board game. The Serbian is currently preparing for the clay court season. He had a mediocre start to the year in 2024 compared to his high standards (in 2023 he reached all four Grand Slam finals including three victories in Australia, at Roland Garros and at the US Open, and also won the Masters), losing in the semi-final of the Australian Open against the future winner, the Italian Jannik Sinner.
He then lost in the third round at Indian Wells to another Italian player, Luca Nardi, which led him to withdraw from the Masters 1000 in Miami, to spare himself. With in mind, in particular, the event of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games which will take place from July 27 to August 4, the only one missing from its list of achievements.
