Ex-coach Marian Vajda admits he never ‘imagined’ Novak Djokovic would become the ‘best in history’ of tennis

Marian Vajda recalled the moment when Novak Djokovic told him about his ambition to become a World No. 1 player.

Ex-coach Marian Vajda admits he never ‘imagined’ Novak Djokovic would become the ‘best in history’ of tennis

Novak Djokovic, Marian Vajda (Images via X, UbiTennis)

Marian Vajda, under whom Novak Djokovic lifted 20 of his 24 Grand Slam titles, reflected on the time he was the coach of the former World No. 1. Vajda joined Djokovic’s team in 2006 and coached him until 2017. He again collaborated with Djokovic from 2018 to 2022.

Djokovic is currently on the sidelines as injury forced him to withdraw from the ongoing ATP Finals in Turin. He, as it’s known, is the most successful men’s singles player. When he started playing, his goal was to be a World No. 1 player, and at that time, Vajda did not ‘imagine’ that Djokovic would one day become the ‘best in the history’ of tennis.

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Of course, when I met him, he was very young and had nothing but confidence. He told me: ‘Marian, I’m going to be tennis number one.’ When we started working, I thought it couldn’t get any better. He is the best player who could have deserved it, and it was just amazing.

Marian Vajda told Radio Television of Serbia 

Under Vajda’s tutelage, the Serb also won 85 of the 99 men’s singles titles. Vajda even won the ATP Coach of the Year in 2018.

Juan Martin Del Potro reveals Novak Djokovic’s offer to him

Juan Martin Del Potro will bid farewell to tennis next month at an exhibition event he is set to play with Novak Djokovic. The Argentine last played a tour-level match at the 2022 Argentina Open. His struggle with a knee injury and the defeat in the first round of the home tournament left him in tears.

Juan Martin Del Petro and Novak Djokovic (via Tennis Majors)
Juan Martin Del Petro and Novak Djokovic (via Tennis Majors)

As he wanted to end his career on a happy note, he wanted to play a retirement match but kept putting it off until the dinner he had with Djokovic. Djokovic had heard the rumors about Del Potro wanting to play another match and initiated the conversation about the topic during their dinner.

The 36-year-old told Djokovic to play with him. Del Potro was deeply moved as in spite of a packed schedule, Djokovic was happy to play the exhibition match.

And for me, it was very emotional because a guy like him, with the tight schedule he has, with the things he plays for week after week, the thousands of offers he has of all kinds, to take a break and come to Argentina for a couple of hours to be with me and the people who also love him, was super special.

Juan Martin Del Potro told La Nacion

Djokovic’s last match on the ATP Tour was at the Shanghai Masters, where he progressed to the final but lost to Jannik Sinner. He has ended his season without a tour-level title, lifting just the gold at the Paris Olympics.