Novak Djokovic has confirmed that he's split from coach Goran Ivanisevic despite their hugely successful partnership.
Ivanisevic, who was a Wimbledon champion as a player, first teamed up with the Serbian in March 2022. Together they won numerous Grand Slams with Djokovic equalling Margaret Court's all-time record haul of single's titles with the pair locked at 24.
2023 proved to be one of Djokovic's best seasons as he continues to defy his age. The Serbian won three of the year's Grand Slams with a Wimbledon final defeat to Carlos Alcaraz denying him the calendar slam. Yet, even with those success, Djokovic and Ivanisevic have gone their separate ways.
He said on Instagram : “I remember clearly the moment I invited Goran to be part of my team. It was back in 2018, and Marian and I were looking to innovate and bring some serve magic to our duo. In fact, not only we brought serve, but also lots of laughter, fun, year end no1 rankings, record breaking achievements and 12 more Grand Slams (and a few finals) to the count since then.
"Did I mention a bit of drama too? 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.
“In fact, I am proud to say (not sure he is) that apart from winning tournaments together, we also had a side battle in (the board game) Parchisi going on… for many years. And – that tournament never stops for us. Thanks for everything my friend. Love you.”
Djokovic has also split with his long-time agents recently and 2024 has not begun the way he's hoped. He suffered a first Australian Open loss since 2018 as Yannick Sinner beat him in the semi-finals. He also endured a shock defeat against Italian Luca Nardi at Indian Wells earlier this month before deciding not to play at the Miami Open.
Ivanisevic never made any secret of the fact that Djokovic could be difficult to handle with the Serbian prone to a rant at his box during games. “He’s not an easy guy, let’s put it this way," his former coach once said. "Especially when something’s not going his way. He keeps you stressed, the stress level is always high. It never goes down. But every day you learn something.”
Ivanisevic is one of several former players to turn their hands to coaching and assist Djokovic. Andre Agassi has worked with the Serbian in the past whilst Boris Becker has also enjoyed a hugely successful spell with Djokovic.
There is talk of the German possibly reuniting with Djokovic for another stint whilst Marjan Vajda, another former coach, could yet come back into the fold ahead of the summer which will feature the French Open, Wimbledon and the Olympics.