When you are the world's best tennis player, then this role comes with the added responsibility of having to make some high-quality and big decisions.
That's what Novak Djokovic has done a few months ago. Initially, there were unverified reports that he had parted company with his longtime agent and business manager Edoardo Artaldi, who together with his wife Elena Cappellaro, had forged a 15-year association with the Serb until September.
Last week Djokovic confirmed those reports to be true during his stay at the Paris Masters stating that they 'decided to go different ways' in the aftermath of his record-tying 24th Grand Slam title at the US Open in September.
Edoardo, commonly known as "Dodi" in the Djokovic camp, and his wife Elena, both Italian citizens, have been important pillars in Djokovic's backroom team. They have been together since 2008, shortly after Djokovic won his first major title at the Australian Open.
The duo has overseen Djokovic's most successful years on the tennis court, witnessing all but one of his 24 Grand Slam wins. Aside from their professional work, Edoardo and Elena have helped Djokovic by fostering a close off-court relationship since the Serbian tends to miss his family a lot while traveling on tour.
According to Djokovic, this is a "new chapter" and a "transition" period for him and he hasn't made any revelations as to why he made this bold choice to end his professional partnership with Artaldi. It has surprised several of his fans, but he explained that they'll still remain friends outside of tennis.
As Tennis Majors reports, Djokovic 'hasn't made up his mind yet' in naming Artaldi's successor. In Paris, Djokovic's team included his British business advisor Mark Madden who was spotted in his corner, leading to speculation that he's going to take up the vacant position.
However, Madden was already part of the team even while Artaldi was there, and has actually been affiliated with the Serb for over three years and even accompanied him at the all-star celebrity-filled Ryder Cup in Italy last month.
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