Novak Djokovic provided an honest reaction to Stefanos Tsitsipas hiring his former coach Goran Ivanisevic.
Djokovic, like most tennis players, is aware of most of the things happening around the Tour, including the news surrounding his former coaches. The Serbian player worked with Ivanisevic for a significant part of his career, and the two remained very good friends even after their collaboration ended.
Since then, Ivanisevic worked with Elena Rybakina, but that partnership ended very quickly. After an unsuccessful exploration of the WTA Tour, the Croatian coach returned to coaching ATP players.
In April, it was rumored that he would start coaching Tsitsipas during the grass-court part of the season, but the Greek player himself refused to confirm those rumors. But after Tsitsipas' surprising second-round loss at Roland Garros, it was confirmed that he will indeed start working with Ivanisevic.
Naturally, one of the players that the 53-year-old Croatian coach worked with, Djokovic, was asked about Ivanisevic's move. The 24-time Grand Slam champion sees the two as a great match, even identifying how his former coach could help Tsitsipas.
According to Djokovic, the experienced coach could help the Greek player with his mentality. Tsitsipas will be ranked outside of the Top 25 after Roland Garros, mostly due to his inconsistent results.
"I'm sure he can help any tennis player, and especially Stefanos, mentally. I can see that Stefanos has bigger fluctuations in that regard now, he doubts his game, it's visible... I believe Goran can guide him a bit and draw his attention to the right things."
Djokovic also knows that Ivanisevic was one of the best serves on the ATP Tour. Although Tsitsipas already has a great serve, the Serbian player believes there is always something that could be improved.
Of course, Djokovic also spoke about Tsitsipas' biggest weakness, which is his backhand. Ivanisevic used to have a two-handed backhand, but the 100-time ATP titlist still thinks that his former coach will be able to help his new pupil.
"When we talk about Goran Ivanisevic, the serve is number one. Stefanos has a good serve, but there's always an element that can be improved. And the backhand — we all know that's probably the weakest point of his game."
"Even though Goran played with a two-handed backhand, I'm sure he has a clear vision of what he wants to do with him. It will be interesting to see how their cooperation develops."
Djokovic obviously won't focus too much on his former coach's new appointment. He is fighting for his 25th Grand Slam title at Roland Garros, and he will face a proper fourth-round test against Cameron Norrie. He beat the British player last week in Geneva.
Popular News
Just In
