The 36-year-old number 1 in the men's world, Novak Djokovic, has ended his long-term and successful partnership with Croatian coach Goran Ivanisevic just before the start of the clay court season, the Serbian himself announced.
Ivanisevic, who is a former Wimbledon champion from 2001 after losing the All England Club finals in 1992, 1994 and 1998, joined Joker's staff in 2019 and helped Nole win nine Grand Slam titles.
"Goran and I decided to stop working a few days ago. Our chemistry on the court has had its ups and downs, but our friendship has always been extremely stable. Truth is, I'm proud to say (not sure if he's proud) that aside from winning tournaments together, we also battled at Parchisi…for many years. And this tournament never ends for us. Shefinjo, thank you for everything my friend. Love you", the 24-time Slam champion wrote in an Instagram post, accompanied by a photo of him and Ivanisevic playing a board game.
Djokovic's campaign for a record 25th Slam singles title ended after a 1-6, 2-6, 7-6 (6), 3-6 defeat by Jannick Sinner in the semi-finals of his favourite Australian Open in January. The Serbian pulled out of the ongoing Miami tournament to limit the number of events he competes in this year, his decision coming after a shock loss to Luca Nardi in Indian Wells.
Djokovic will warm up for the second Grand Slam tournament, Roland Garros, with clay tournaments, in search of a fourth title at the French Open, which runs between May 26 and June 9. /BGNES
