At the end of last month, Goran Ivanišević and Novak Đoković broke off their successful collaboration, which had lasted since 2019. Đoković recently said that the professional relationship was terminated because there was saturation, and Ivanišević also expressed his thoughts about Đoković and the reasons for the break in cooperation in an interview with Sport Klub.
What was it like to coach Novak Djokovic?
"Exciting and turbulent, that's how it was to coach Novak. Not turbulent in the sense of problems, but because of everything else. He is an institution, he is the greatest tennis player of all time and one of the greatest athletes of all time. I am grateful to him for the rest of my life for the opportunity. He used he's single, the results are in. A wonderful five years."
What exactly are the reasons for the termination of cooperation?
"There are none. Saturation. Hard five years. People forget the coronavirus, the fact that he was labeled as the world's number 1 villain, because he was not vaccinated. We were constantly in a gap, he played, he didn't play. So some minister called. Not to mention Australia There was saturation, fatigue of the material. And the car goes to the mechanic every now and then, so you fix it. He got tired of me, I got tired of him. When we put everything together, we made a big deal.
Last year in America I started to feel it. I had a hard time at Wimbledon, Alkaras. He was better, but I had a hard time. And then going to America, that's when I felt that the end was near."
Djokovic often shouted at you. Did that bother you?
"I didn't hear half of it, the stadiums are big. He never came to us, he fought from about 20 meters away. For example, he lost his serve in a match in which he was serving well. He shouts: 'What's wrong with my serve?' I can't shout at him: 'Nothing, the problem is with the forehand.' And while I should shout it, the problem is with the rider.
Last year in Adelaide, the final with Korda. The sun was strong, we couldn't see anything, madness on the court, Korda plays incredibly, he loses the set, Korda better at that moment, and everything is close to us. And he asks us what to do. I speak, Charlie speaks. At one point, his brother Marko was also there and he asked: 'Mar, what should I do?' and Marko looks at him for three seconds and says: 'Find inner peace.' He turns around... I'm on the floor, I was thinking who will kill me first, Maret or Charlie... Five minutes pass, he completely turns the tide of the match and wins.
He also knew that the media was following it. It didn't bother me. There were also questions about why he doesn't shout when he didn't shout."
What was the parting like?
"I'll never say what we talked about, but I'm glad I went to America. He lost the semifinals of the Australian Open and there was talk of a tragedy. Well, he didn't lose in the first round, it wasn't a tragedy, and he wasn't himself in that match. And against Janik Siner you have to be 100 percent. The whole of Australia was hot and cold. He's better than many even when he plays on one leg, but against Siner, Alcaraz and such you have to show up. If Novak A shows up, it's good. If Novak B appears, then you're in trouble.
To return to America. If Vukić had tried, he could have won it in the 1st round. I'm glad we talked after the defeat against Nardi. I wanted after Australia, but he was going skiing. A month has passed and here is America. It was relaxed. Who can blame him? He conquered everything in the world. It's not easy to motivate yourself. Easy for Grand Slams, but for other tournaments... You need strength, motivation, desire, will. And he would also like a family. When we sat down the day after the loss, I'm glad we did it. After the five years we've been through, it's the only right way. It wouldn't be right over messages.
It was important for me to tell him some things. How I feel, how he feels. We've been through a lot together. When the cameras go off, when he is Novak Djokovic, and that is not easy, because everyone wants and is looking for something, he is a good man. That is the most important thing. I was ready to die for him, if necessary. It wasn't easy being his coach. They saw us as villains. There were rude ones. I told him, if necessary, we will go to war against everyone. I am proud to have been with him in his most difficult moments."
Was the parting emotional?
"We are friends and always will be. I am grateful to him for the trust he showed me, for the chance to work with Vajda, with everyone. These are people who will remain in my heart, they are my friends, almost family. The conversation is was emotional. Everything was beautiful. Beautiful. We came to the point that parting was the best option. He is the first in the world, he will only have to shake a little and he will be real again, that Novak A.
What kind of coach profile does Djokovic need now?
"I don't know how much longer he will play, but Nenad Zimonjić is an excellent choice. Novak doesn't need a coach. Only a coach from this area can lead a Balkan player. I heard from Ziki, we talked. I think he is the perfect choice right now. Novak won't learn now something new, he knows everything. But maybe the approach will be different, maybe he will refresh it."
Have you changed in cooperation with Djokovic?
"I am a little bit, but that's the way I am. We talked about it, I told him that he knows who I am and what he can get from me. We always come back to the question of when is the right moment to end cooperation. The right moment is when it happens.
I got a lot of experience, now I can train anyone. Anything further will be like croissants, orange juice and a lounge chair. It is not easy to train Novak, it is demanding, but when you see the results, then you feel pride. And you learn a lot.
Australia, coronavirus and Djokovic
"Those 4-5 days when they released him, it was terrible. Helicopters above us. We left the house to buy something, they ran after us, filming us with their phones. It was as if we were the worst. We didn't know if we were going home or not and so on. every day. Some may have been on his side, but no one was allowed to say it. If my colleague was in trouble, if I love you and if I'm on your side, I'll support you.
Some disappointed me, but do you know how it was for him? It was just... That's why we said, we're here for you, we're going against the whole world. You know we can't win that war, it's the corporations, but here we go. I'm proud of that. Then came the award in 2023, I don't know if anyone saw it above, in which he won everything possible. Except for Wimbledon.
A lot of tennis players would not recover from what he went through in Australia. Dubai, defeat, we go to America, we don't go to America, a couple of months without tennis. Well, the country... Then he started to recover, Madrid and the match with Alcaraz, then Rome. Then he won Wimbledon and it kind of started to calm down."
There were those who doubted you and the success of your collaboration with Djokovic.
"They doubted me. I was surprised by some colleagues and some whom I respected, they predicted a flood. But, when you are the coach of someone so big, everyone has the right to say what they think about you.
In my opinion, Novak improved the most on the volley and positioning on the court. He is not afraid to come to the net, I would like him to use the volley even better. He improved everything, statistically he has the best shots. But I always like to say, we are a team. We all suffer together in defeats and rejoice together in victories. We all worked together. Of course, he is watched the most, and then me, I am a temperamental Dalmatian, he is the way he is. There's always some charge."
How much of a psychologist do you have to be for Novak to be in the state he is in?
"Big one. I could also get a degree in psychology."
The biggest disagreement?
"These are just different opinions. His brain is the brain of a genius and he processes things differently. He sees it one way, I see it another way. He expects me to say something, I say or I don't say. And then we wait to see how he reacts. We are always had a normal relationship. It helped me a lot that we speak the same language. That he is from an English-speaking area... By the time I find a word, by the time I translate it, it's already over. Mentality and language also help, I also learned to know in advance how will react. Everyone is talking about a turbulent relationship and we were joking and enjoying ourselves on the court. He wanted the best and I wanted the best for him. I have been his biggest fan since he arrived on the Tour.
I can't talk just to talk, to fulfill the norm of 20.000 words. I can not. I do not want. Marian Vajda helped me a lot, I saw how he works. I've been on the Tour since 2013, 2014, just on Novak's other side. I didn't know then that I would get a call, but I knew how things worked. Marjian helped me, and I found my way and I think it was more than successful."
What is the most difficult thing about being Novak Djokovic?
"First and last name. Everyone thinks they have the right to say something to you. No matter how much it worked for me, he had nerves and patience. It's incredible how much he donated, how much he helped people, he is different. There are many people, someone some love him, some don't, some adore him. He did a lot for tennis, for people. If it's easy for him, it's not easy for him."
Why do you think it's hard for people to say he's the greatest of all time?
"No one can dissuade me that it has anything to do with where he comes from. If he was English, they would build him a palace next to Buckingham Palace. For me, he is the greatest in numbers and without them. In tennis.
And as a player I felt that the difference is where you come from, and then also as a coach. "You Balkans..." It is an additional motivation for me, as well as for him. There aren't many of us, but we're going to fight. That human part that we had, I think that's the most important thing. That friendship remains, and so do the results."
The best moment of the collaboration?
"All the successes. I know how hard they are to come. When I came home, it would take me two weeks to recover. We went through a journey that was different compared to all I had. I will train again, but this it won't happen again," said Goran Ivanišević in an interview for Sport Club.
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