**Novak fought with the whole world, I was ready to die for him». Revelations of the former coach of the Serb Goran Ivanisevic worked with Djokovic for five years and now he talked about the problems and reasons for the break with the star protege. Goran Ivanisevic recently ended cooperation with Novak Djokovic after more than five years of working together. The famous former Croatian tennis player (though achieving much less than Djokovic himself) was initially hired as a specialist in serving and essentially served as the second coach to Djokovic after Marjan Vajda, but after the latter's departure from the team, he became the main coach. In an interview with Tennis Majors. Serbian journalist Sascha Ozmo, who wrote a whole book about Djokovic, Goran talked about this period of his life, recalled amusing stories related to Djokovic and his behavior on the court, and discussed the reasons for their split. - I'll start by saying that you said this even before working with Novak Djokovic for the first time, and then repeated it several times during your cooperation: "Being on Novak's team is about the same as sitting on the Real Madrid bench." How was it for you to be on the Real bench for almost five years? - It was delightful. A huge honor, a great responsibility, and I am very proud. There were restless times not in terms of our cooperation, but in terms of what was happening around us. We joked in the team that every time I was around, something bad happened - a shoulder injury at the US Open in 2019, then the coronavirus and everything related to it... But all this is not so important. Novak Djokovic is the greatest tennis player and one of the greatest athletes of all time.
I understand that people always need to write something, speak, give advice, leave comments. And as a coach, you're always in the spotlight, you'll always be blamed. When Vajda was also in the team, we shared these accusations, but then he left, and I was left on the firing line alone (laughs). But I am infinitely grateful to Novak - he gave me a chance, and I took full advantage of it. The results speak for themselves. No one can take them away from us, erase them from memory - they are written in black and white. These were five wonderful years.
- Of course, we will remember all these situations - both good and bad - but I want to start with what interests everyone now. What is the real reason for ending your cooperation? Novak mentioned feeling saturated with each other... - I have read many similar statements. I'll repeat, people always just need to write something. Unfortunately, no one even came close to hitting the nail on the head. In reality, there is no "real" reason. Yes, one of the reasons was a sense of saturation, fatigue. These were difficult and intensive five years. People forget that at one point during the coronavirus pandemic, Novak became the greatest villain on the planet because of his stand on vaccinations. We were not allowed into this country, that one... We were left in limbo - sometimes we played, sometimes we didn't, prepared for tournaments, then the rules in the country changed, so we couldn't get there. And this is not to mention Australia and all the chaos that ensued there (referring to Djokovic's deportation from the country in 2022 after a scandal with allegedly forged medical records allowing him not to take the vaccine. - Ed. of "Championship").
So yes, we reached a certain level of saturation. As I like to say, it was physical exhaustion. You know, how a car needs regular maintenance and tuning. To put it simply, I was tired of him, and he was tired of me. And, most importantly, I didn't feel like I could still help him in any way. But still, we achieved something great for ourselves and for tennis as a whole. - Did all this happen now when you were in the States, or has it been brewing for a long time? - No, it didn't happen in the States. In general, you can't say that it "happened" [at a specific moment]. I first felt something like that when we were in the USA last year. I won't say that something was wrong even at Wimbledon, although, of course, that defeat hit hard on me as a coach.
**But that's when I really started to feel that the end was near. The question was only whether it would happen then, in 2023, or already this year. When we recently talked to Novak in the States, he said one wonderful thing - there is no right or wrong moment, there is only the moment when two people agree that the time has come. Maybe now, looking back, it can be said that we needed to end our cooperation at the end of last year. I then underwent knee surgery, I was not with Novak for six or seven weeks, I couldn't fly to Paris for the Masters. I think the overall exhaustion from everything gradually and they think that this is a feature of my relationship with Novak, but no - with [Boris] Becker and with Marjan [Vajda] it was the same. We discussed his style of communication, his behavior on the court dozens of times. His screams didn't bother me at all, half of which I didn't even hear - it's too noisy on the big arenas for that.
- Yet his communication with the team during matches - one of the topics that were often raised.
- Yes, it is always discussed - coach's tips or their absence... You know, these tips have existed in tennis for at least 30 years, they just now have been framed by rules, according to which a player can communicate with their team while on the same half of the court where they sit, and for communicating with the opposite side you can get a warning. But 30 years ago it was more or less the same in terms of tips - everyone communicated with their team, some referees turned a blind eye more often, others didn't. There were many funny cases. And you know, Novak never liked to approach the box and ask something, but preferred to yell, being about 30 meters away from us. Of course, I couldn't hear anything - you can barely hear yourself there when there's a whole stadium of fans making noise behind you.
So, about the examples. Novak lost his game in which he was serving really well - but missed a few shots on the right, and the opponent was receiving greatly. And he yells, "What's wrong with my serve?!" I can't get through to him that the serve is fine, and the problem is with the forehand, and while I'm thinking about how to tell him this so he'll hear me, he's already like, "What's wrong with my reception?!" But we haven't solved the problem with the forehand or the supposed problem with the serve yet - even though the serve is actually fine - and somehow found ourselves facing a problem with the reception. I have always had a very quiet voice, so it's hard to hear me [in such noise]. So we agreed with Miljan [Amanovic, Djokovic's physiotherapist], who has the loudest voice, that he would convey to Novak what I want to say. It's clear that our common goal is to win the match. Many factors can influence the game. For example, a thundercloud may appear nearby, and we will wonder whether it will affect Novak's mood, psychology or not. Responding to such things must be done in seconds, and that's not so simple.
We are also in stressful situations, just like him. Here's another funny story. The Adelaide final last year, Novak is playing against Corda. The hot sun is shining brightly, we can't see well against it, something strange is happening on the court, Corda is playing incredibly. Djokovic loses the first set, in the second they are neck and neck, but Corda is clearly playing better. We are sitting literally a meter from Novak, and he demands an answer from us - what's wrong with his game? I answer first, then Charlie (Gomez, Djokovic's sparring partner. - Ed. of "Championship"). At one point, Novak yells at his brother, who is also there: "Mare, tell me, what's not working?" Marco pauses, looks at him for a couple of seconds, and says, "You must find inner peace."
Novak turns to us, and I start to guess who he will kill first - me, Marco, or Charlie. However, just five minutes later he does find that peace, the course of the match changes, and he wins. We thought it was funny at the time, but Novak later said that this phrase from Mare really helped him. In general, I want to say that what is said in the moment may not be very important. During big matches, in decisive moments everyone is on edge, and I am fine with that. What does it matter if he's yelling? Negative energy needs to be released somehow. I think it's normal - after all, I was also a player and I know how it works. It helps him.**
**- Have you ever discussed this with him after matches, talked about how his screams and all that are discussed in the media?
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Of course, he is aware. We have talked several times before matches about how the spectators will root against him, they will wait for the moment when he shows weakness to provoke him. We advised him to try not to react so sharply, calm himself down, find other ways to let off steam, and to yell only when there is nothing else left. During the match, it is often difficult to control oneself regardless of how it unfolds. Sometimes it helped, and sometimes he would waste too much unnecessary energy. However, he is so brilliant that he almost always finds a way to win. Moreover, when he didn't yell on the court, people would ask why he wasn't doing it. It was never the case that everyone was satisfied, no matter how Novak behaved during the match.
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Can you tell us more about your last conversation in Miami? How long did it take, what did you discuss?
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Well, I won't share specific details, but I can say that I am glad that I flew to America. In Australia, I already felt quite tired, and not just because Novak lost in the semifinals. After that defeat, discussions started about what a tragedy it was. But, listen, nothing tragic happened - he didn't lose in the first round, moreover, he lost to a young guy who was better and was excellently prepared in every aspect. I don't know what happened to Djokovic in that match. He wasn't himself, and Sinner was too good to beat when you're not 100% ready. And even being 100% ready doesn't guarantee success.
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Reflecting on that match, were you able to understand why he wasn't himself? It's not just about the fact of losing, but about how Djokovic lost. The score could have easily been 3-0 sets in Sinner's favor.
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Yes, the match could have ended that way. Djokovic managed to take the third set, and I thought he could bounce back from there, but in the fourth set, he showed no emotions. Indeed, this whole period in Australia this year tossed him from heat to cold. In the early rounds, he had problems, he played better against Etcheverry and Mannarino, with Fritz there were one or two good sets and one or two bad ones (Djokovic beat Taylor in four sets. - Ed. of "Championship"). But his level is so high that he can beat all these players with ease. However, against Sinner, Alcaraz, and Medvedev, he really needs to show class. If Djokovic enters the court in his A-game form - let's say, Djokovic of class A, that's one thing, but if he plays at a B-level, then we have problems. Well, he has problems, and since I'm on his side, they become my problems too (laughs). Then the usual conversations begin - catastrophe, everything is terrible, he still hasn't won a tournament this year, even though it's already April, and so on. Well, in 2022, he didn't have any titles until the Masters in Rome, and nothing terrible happened in the end. As far as I can see, he is still the world number one, not the 50th, and will maintain this position at least for the next few weeks. Returning to the American Masters... I think if Vukich believed more in his abilities, he could also have beaten Djokovic. And the first set with Nardi was perhaps the worst he played in those five years I coached him. Djokovic won the second set, but I must admit that in the third, Nardi realized he could win. In that set, he hit 16 aces, he deserves credit for that. Djokovic just wasn't ready for that battle. He tried, but everything didn't go according to his plan. And Nardi is actually good - I believe he should already be in the top 50.
We had a great time in the USA, despite the results, and we were relaxed. Can you blame Djokovic for that? He has won everything there is to win in tennis. It's not easy in such a situation to find motivation every day. I saw in his training that it's not easy for him to motivate himself daily. It's easier before the Grand Slams, but it's harder before the Masters to push yourself to train with the same intensity again and again, even being such a perfectionist as he is. It requires strength, passion, willpower... And he wanted something else, more time with his family. We sat down to talk the next day, and I'm very glad it happened. After those five years together, during which we went through everything, it was the only right way to end it. Definitely not through text messages or calls. We had a good chat, laughed, and talked. It was important for me to say what I feel to him, and he told me how he feels, and it was all very good and pleasant. For five years, I was always there for him, and we went through many good and bad moments, through the detention [in Australia], chaos - through everything.**
Without cameras, Novak is a very good person with a big heart. I was even ready to die for him if necessary. He was fighting against the whole world, and being his coach at that moment was not easy. Wherever we went, people looked at us, at him, as if he were a villain. Of course, there were those who expressed their support, told us to stay strong. But many were truly rude and aggressive.
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