“Novak Djokovic chose Goran Ivanisevic” Ex-coach Marian Vajda divulges details on his split with the Serbian
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Goran Ivanisevic, Novak Djokovic, Marian Vajda
World No. 1 Novak Djokovic stunned the world in March when he announced that he has parted ways with his longtime coach Marian Vajda over a mutual agreement between the player and the coach. It was a shocking decision for many tennis fans given Novak had one of the worst starts to a year and needed his trusted people around him as he planned his return to the Tour.
Vajda and Novak started working first in 2006 when Novak had only 1 career title to his name. Vajda had been with Novak for every season till 2017 when the pair first split. Marian however rejoined the Djokovic camp the very next season when Novak was returning after a long break due to elbow surgery and re-hired his ex-coach. The pair then worked nonstop till the 2021 ATP Finals post which they decided to part the ways once again but communicated the decision only in March 2022 with Goran Ivanisevic taking over as the head coach.
Speaking with journalist Sasa Ozmo for Tennis Majors, Vajda further divulged information about the surprising split between the 20-time Grand Slam champion and him. One of the main things the Slovakian coach focussed on was Novak’s ambition for Grand Slams and the requirement of his did not suit what Marian hoped in his job.
“It was a combination of various reasons: we have been together for a really long time and his decisions showed that he wanted to focus on Grand Slam tournaments – that is why he might think that it is not ideal to have so many people in his team. He wanted to reduce it and have only one coach.
“I don’t know for sure, because I never asked him, but I assume from my analysis of his tournament schedule, that he wanted to reduce his team, and he chose Goran Ivanisevic. It did not make sense for a coach to coach him only him on Grand Slams, because a coach needs a long-term plan,” said Vajda during the interview.
“Novak Djokovic will be ready for Roland Garros”: Marian Vajda
Despite the difference of opinion between the two, there is no love lost between Novak and Marian and it was on display once again when Vajda backed his former student for a successful outing at the 2022 French Open where he will be the defending champion and going for his 3rd French Open title and 21st career major.
“He was not in great shape because of the problems at the beginning of the year. He doesn’t have enough matches under his belt, and that is why he is now trying to play everywhere he can. He is getting back to his old self, even though in the Belgrade final he still wasn’t in the best shape. He might be struggling a bit in Madrid and Rome, but I think he will be ready for Roland Garros,” added Vajda.
With many baseless theories revolving around the split, Vajda seems to have cleared the air showing that the respect and admiration between him and Novak are still there even if they are not together. It also shows how focused Djokovic is to get the record for most Grand Slam titles for which he is the front runner given his exploits in the 2021 season.
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