Former World No. 2 Goran Ivanisevic has finally opened up on his split with Novak Djokovic . The two had a successful partnership since 2018 which saw the Serb win 12 singles Grand Slam titles. It also saw him take the lead for most Majors won by any player in the Open Era.
Djokovic took to his social media account to confirm their split. Since then, Ivanisevic had kept his silence on the whole subject giving rise to many speculations on the possible reason for his exit. One of the most widespread rumors was about the behavior of Nole towards his coaches.
There have been various instances when the player has been seen screaming at his own box. The coaches had to bear his frustration during the matches which often saw fans angry towards Nole. While the two always maintained it was all in the ‘heat of the moment’, fans refused to accept the reasoning.
To silence the doubters, Ivanisevic had to eventually break his silence. During his latest interview with Sasa Ozmo, he confirmed there was no such rift between the two. As they always said, it happened due to the circumstances of the match and neither of them took it to heart.
All in all, there was that gradual fatigue building up in me, in him, but people make out like our relationship and communication was particularly turbulent, which just isn’t true. Novak is just like that, it was the same with (Boris) Becker, and with Marian, that’s just simply how he functions. said Ivanisevic.
The former Wimbledon winner went on to rather explain how he was unbothered. He revealed that due to the size of the stadiums and the noise from the stands, Djokovic was not audible on many occasions.
His communication, which we spoke about a hundred times already, on the court during a match, everything was allowed. That never even bothered me, his shouting, half of it I couldn’t even hear, I mean those are big courts, there’s a lot noise. added the Croatian.
Goran Ivanisevic admits Novak Djokovic’s Wimbledon loss to Carlos Alcaraz hurt him
With some reports claiming Djokovic and Ivanisevic called it quits after a fight in Indian Wells, the 52-year-old clarified it. He claimed nothing happened on US soil but rather a while ago during the 2023 season.
With Djokovic losing to Carlos Alcaraz in a blockbuster final at the 2023 Wimbledon, the Croat claimed it hurt him massively. While Djokovic was able to avenge the loss by defeating the Spaniard in Cincinnati, the seeds of doubts were sown in Wimbledon itself.
No, it wasn’t now in America, I mean, it never really “occurred”. I first noticed the feeling, if I’m being completely honest, last year in America. I won’t say as far back as Wimbledon, but that Wimbledon, of course the player is always most affected, but as a coach that loss really hit hard. added Ivanisevic.
The coach however admitted that following Djokovic’s win at the US Open, he started considering ending their partnership more seriously. While he discussed it only this year with the Serb, the last few months of 2023 were spent in getting to a conclusion.
It was only a question of whether that would be at the end of the year, or at some point in this year, and just now in America when I spoke to Novak he said something good – there is no right or wrong moment, there is only that moment when it happens, when two people agree it is time. concluded the Croat.
It will be a relief for Djokovic fans to know the real reasons behind the split. This will also bring an end to the unverified rumors and speculations floating around. Ivanisevic is yet to confirm his future plans while Nole will be next seen in action at the 2024 Monte Carlo Masters.