Much speculation has surrounded Novak Djokovic’s decision to conclude his partnership with coach Goran Ivanisevic. The reason behind this decision has now been disclosed.
Novak Djokovic, the world’s top-ranked tennis player, recently ended his coaching relationship with Goran Ivanisevic. The separation is believed to have been caused by a significant disagreement between the duo at the 2024 Indian Wells tournament.
Djokovic and Ivanisevic had a highly successful collaboration, capturing 12 Grand Slam titles together among other accolades. The Croatian coach joined Djokovic’s coaching staff in 2018, initially supporting Maria Vajda, before taking on the role of head coach in 2022.
The decision to part ways followed a challenging start to Djokovic’s 2024 season. His aspirations for a Golden Slam were dashed after a semifinal loss to Jannik Sinner at the Australian Open. The disappointment continued when 20-year-old Luca Nardi unexpectedly defeated the 24-time Grand Slam winner in the third round at Indian Wells.
Djokovic announced his split from Ivanisevic on March 27 via his Instagram, where he reminisced about their successful collaboration and thanked the 52-year-old for his contributions.
Tennis commentator Craig Shapiro later revealed on X (formerly known as Twitter) that the split was due to a “big argument” over Djokovic’s practice efforts during the Indian Wells event, according to his sources.
“Been told that everything officially fell apart after a big argument over Novak’s effort in practice in Indian Wells,” Shapiro wrote.
It’s essential to note that neither Djokovic nor Ivanisevic has confirmed this information. Nonetheless, it seems probable that an event occurred between the coach and player, given their previously successful partnership.
