Novak Djokovic and Goran Ivanisevic are breaking up, the tennis world number one announced on Wednesday night.
Djokovic brought Croatia’s 2001 Wimbledon champion on board as a member of the coaching team ahead of the grass court Grand Slam in 2019 and although the Serbian admitted their “on-court chemistry had its ups and downs”, it also resulted in huge success.
The pair’s relationship spanned five years where they shared 12 grand slam titles.
The pair stuck together through some dark patches in Djokovic’s life before the Serbian roared back to the top of the men’s rankings.
It comes two years aft Djokovic also split from long-term mentor Marian Vajda.
Vajda guided Djokovic for 14 years.
Djokovic’s personal life off the court has been rumored to have hit several obstacles in recent years, including rumors of marriage infidelity when his wife Jelena briefly went missing from his travelling entourage.
Djokovic has always found ways to fight back when things are not going how he wants them to on the court, but at the age of 36, finding another spark this year may be his toughest test.
Djokovic has had by his high standards a poor start to the year, losing to eventual champion Jannik Sinner of Italy in the Australian Open semi-finals.
Novak Djokovic with wife Jelena and former coach Goran Ivanisevic. Photo: Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images for Laureus and Lintao Zhang.
The 36-year-old Serbian then lost to Sinner’s unheralded compatriot Luca Nardi in the third round at Indian Wells, prompting him to withdraw from the Miami tournament for what he claimed were scheduling reasons.
“Goran and I decided to stop working together a few days ago,” Djokovic posted on Instagram.
“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 Parchisi going on… for many years,” he said, referring to the online game.
“And — that tournament never stops for us. Sefinjo, thanks for everything my friend. Love you.”
Djokovic said the volatile and charismatic Ivanisevic had brought more than just his tennis acumen to the partnership, which was exactly what he and his then head coach Marian Vajda had been looking for.
“I remember clearly the moment I invited Goran to be part of my team,” said Djokovic.
“It was back in 2018, and Marian (Vajda) and I were looking to innovate and bring some serve magic to our duo.
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