It was one of those news that shook the foundations of the tennis world last week, an earthquake that few of us expected and that we are still getting used to. Goran Ivanisevic and Novak Djokovic separated their paths, breaking a winning duo affected by the passage of time. So, a new question arises… who will be the next Nole coach?
And it is a question whose answer, it seems, we are close to knowing. The break between Goran Ivanisevic y Novak Djokovic It unleashed all kinds of rumors and began to point to many names, some of them related to a greater or lesser extent with the Serbian’s career and past. Not only that: the option was also considered that Nole, with extensive mileage behind him and at a time of maximum optimization in his career, would walk ‘alone’ until the end of his days, without any main coach beyond his vast work team. However, the images that have come to us from Serbia, where the Belgrade player began his preparation for the clay court tour, and now from Montecarlowhere he is already training for the next Masters 1000, allow us to point to someone who knows Novak very well: Nenad Zimonjic.
His figure, on paper, needs no introduction. Former world number one in doubles, where he was champion of three Grand Slams (two Wimbledon) and the ATP Finals, very few know Djokovic as closely as he does. Because? For the numerous years in which they shared the national team of Davis cup (Zimonjic was part of the team that won the 2010 Davis Cup, like Novak) and for the years in which Nenad himself was coach, moving to a new role in which he continued to share a dressing room with Novak. Zimonjic seems to have begun a kind of trial period with Djokovic: he has traveled to Monaco to accompany him during the dispute of the first Masters 1000 of the clay court tour, being the new addition to a team that misses a person as dear as Goran .
But don’t forget that the professional break between Goran and Nole has been more than friendly. They are friends and intimates and will continue to be so: the decision, although it may weigh, finds its reason for being in the continuous wear and tear of more than six years on the crest of the wave. They are also very strong personalities that we have seen collide, even on the track… but the love that both profess for each other continues to be above all. Perhaps that is why it is not surprising that it is Ivanisevic himself who gives the ‘blessing’ to his former pupil’s new signing, pointing to Zimonjic as the “ideal coach” for Djokovic. He did it in the preview of an interview with journalist Sasa Ozmo, dedicating some nice words to the Serbian.
“DJOKOVIC IS WITH THE PERFECT PERSON”
“I don’t know how long Djokovic wants to continue playing, but Right now he is with the perfect person: Ziki. He is a great friend of mine, we have been through many things together and I love him very much. He has extensive knowledge of tennis, but most importantly he knows Novak very well. Right now, Novak doesn’t need someone completely new, someone who needs time to get to know him. Let’s say that ten days could pass, Novak ‘goes crazy’ and his new coach is stunned, wondering what’s happening.”Goran pointed out with a smile. At the same time, the Croatian launched a small theory that could explain the signing of Zimonjic and broke down the reasons why he believes that Nenad is the ideal person for the position.
“Ziki can help him at the tennis level. Novak already knows everything, but it will be refreshing for him to hear the same things but from someone different, with a different and renewed approach. Ziki fully knows Novak’s mentality, they have already been together in the Davis Cup. I have a theory: someone from the Balkans can coach anyone, but only someone from our region can coach a Balkan player. Marian (Vajda) is Slovak, we are close and know each other very well. Boris (Becker) also worked very well with Novak, but his tennis knowledge is off the charts.”Ivanisevic pointed out. We do not know the next steps of the Croatian, who will possibly reveal in the next few hours what new projects he could embark on. Meanwhile, Djokovic and Zimonjic will take the first steps of their new partnership very soon, in the Serb’s debut in the Principality.
2024-04-02 19:08:46
#ideal #coach #Djokovic #Ivanisevic
