Novak Djokovic is expected to name a new coach ahead of the clay-court season, and former WTA doubles no. 1 Samantha Stosur has shared her thoughts on the incoming member of the Serbian team.
Earlier this week, Djokovic caused quite the shock when he called time on his six-year professional relationship with Croatian coach Goran Ivanisevic. The pair won nine Grand Slams together and many more ATP titles, including the 2023 ATP Finals, which proved to be their last success.
The 36-year-old's decision has even stunned some tennis experts, with former World No. 1 Andy Roddick arguing that it is unusual to make such critical changes between March and April.
Djokovic has been critical of some of his performances this season, most notably his defeat in the Australian Open semifinal to Jannik Sinner and his loss to Italian lucky loser Luca Nardi in Indian Wells.
It is reported that the 24-time Grand Slam champion and the Croat "fell apart after a big argument" over a practice session at Indian Wells. Djokovic is now on the market looking for options, with compatriot Nenad Zimonjic a strong favorite to take over the reins before the clay swing begins.
Former US Open champion Sam Stosur spoke on the AO Show podcast this week and shared some interesting insights about a player-coach relationship. The Australian reckons that a fresh voice has the capacity to impact a player's performance, which is what Djokovic is after.
"Coaching relationships do have that time frame. You spend a lot of time together, on and off the court. Sometimes hearing that different voice, might be the same messaging, but just hearing it from a different person, said slightly differently, who knows?"
Djokovic is still chasing his first title of the season as he attempts to reach the 100-title mark. Stosur said that coaching the World No. 1 is "not the easiest job in the world" because of the pressure that comes with it. Two defeats are enough to ignite a crisis, according to the 39-year-old.
"But I mean, coaching Novak (Djokovic) wouldn't be the eaiest job in the world. You're expected to win every week of the year, right? So, if you lose a couple of matches, it's like, 'Oh my gosh, what's going on?' Whereas that's, you know, such an unusual position to be in. He's expected to win every single week. So, there's a lot of pressure on a coach."
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