Novak Djokovic has admitted he may choose not to have a coach in the aftermath of his split with Goran Ivanisevic. The world No 1 announced a shock split from Ivanisevic last month, bringing an end to a six-year partnership that will go down as one of the greatest in tennis history.
Since announcing their split, Djokovic reached the semi-final of the Monte Carlo Masters but is skipping the Madrid Open as he priorities the Italian Open and Roland Garros.
He was working with long-time confident and compatriot Nenad Zimonjic in Monte Carlo, but in quotes first reported by The Guardian, he has revealed that he may choose to not bring in a permanent figure.
Djokovic said: “I am considering that as well, whether I should or shouldn’t have the coach. “I had a really good time with Nenad Zimonjić as my coach the last three weeks so we’re talking about continuing and seeing. Let’s see, I’m going to make the decision in the next period.”
Djokovic has openly spoken about how he is taking a more targeted approach to tennis in the latter years of his career, with more Grand Slam and big event success his ultimate priority.
And he admitted that this approach had contributed to his decision to not immediately replace Ivanisevic, and instead see how things pan out. “I’m not rushing. I feel like playing tennis over 20 years and having a lot of different teams and coaches, it’s not like I think I don’t need a coach at all,” added the world No 1.
“I think there’s always value in having that quality team and fitness coach, physio, mental coach. It’s all important. It creates a formula for success and helps you perform better, train better, recover better. Stay on the top for as long as you can.
“But I think I’m in the stage of my career where I can afford to maybe think having no coach is also an option. Let’s see. I’m going to make my decision soon.”
Djokovic was speaking at the Laureus World Sports Awards in Madrid, where he picked up the Sportsman of the Year Award for a staggering fifth time.
Also attending the awards were Spanish stars Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz, while the recently retired Garbine Muguruza also made an appearance.
