Novak Djokovic and Goran Ivanisevic are going their separate ways, the tennis world number one announced on Wednesday, ending a five-year partnership that yielded twelve Grand Slams. Djokovic brought the 2001 Croatian Wimbledon champion on board as part of the coaching team ahead of the 2019 grass court Grand Slam and while the Serbian admitted their “on-court chemistry had its ups and downs”, it also resulted in huge good luck. However, Djokovic has had a poor start to the year by his high standards, losing to eventual champion Jannik Sinner of Italy in the semi-finals of the Australian Open.
The 36-year-old Serbian then lost to Sinner’s unknown compatriot Luca Nardi in the third round at Indian Wells, prompting him to withdraw from the tournament in Miami for what he said were scheduling reasons.
“Goran and I decided a few days ago to stop working together,” Djokovic posted on Instagram.
“Our chemistry on the field had its ups and downs, but our friendship was always rock solid.
“I’m even 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 years,” he said, referring to the online game.
“And… that tournament never ends for us. Sefinjo, thank you for everything, my friend. I love you.”
Djokovic said the volatile and charismatic Ivanisevic brought more than just his tennis talent to the partnership, which was exactly what he and his then head coach Marian Vajda were looking for.
“I clearly remember the moment I invited Goran to join my team,” Djokovic said.
“It was in 2018, and Marian (Vajda) and I wanted to innovate and add some magic to our duo.
“In fact, we brought not only service, but lots of laughter, fun, the year-end No. 1 ranking, record-breaking performances and twelve more Grand Slams (and a few finals) since then.”
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