After a disappointing start to his 2024 season, Novak Djokovic recently announced that he had parted ways with his long-time coach, Goran Ivanisevic. The duo started working together in 2018 and has won multiple Grand Slam titles throughout their journey. This news has come as a surprise to many, but Goran Ivanisevic’s recently unearthed confession is raising questions about their relationship.

Almost three months ago, Ivanisevic made some strange revelations. He stated that catching the Serbian tennis star is a pain because he is a very demanding athlete, one who wants to be at the top every time. He is always looking for ways to improve his game and stay a step ahead of others. And, for that he wants everyone around him to be on their toes every time, which caused some friction between the two.

“He chain us with handcuffs” – Novak Djokovic’s former coach

During the Roland Garros last year, Goran Ivanisevic said, “He chain us with handcuffs for three days,” The Croatian further went on to add, that Novak Djokovic is “not an easy guy”, especially when something’s not going his way. 

“He was torturing us, taking our nails off. A lot more things but I cannot tell you that. But we are still here, we’re alive. My heart is still okay. I’m an old man, I need to be careful of my heart. So, he’s okay,” said the 52-year-old tennis coach. According to him working with Novak Djokovic is not easy and can at times become very complicated. But at the end of the day, he believes Djokovic is the best player in the history of tennis. Ivanisevic had admitted that he gets angry when Djokovic yells at the team for no reason.

Novak Djokovic has been world number 1 for quite some time now. Goran Ivanisevic says he understands how difficult it is to motivate himself and stay calm while sitting on the throne of the tennis world. So, he believes patience is the only key to working with the Serbinator. Last year Djokovic revealed how Ivanisevic is still finding new ways to motivate him.

“I’m a flawed human being”- Djokovic

Novak Djokovic gave an interview to Eurosport last year, where he reflected a bit on his journey and joked about how his coaching team has largely failed to find ways to get the best out of him. “I’m as flawed a human being as can be. I need even more extra motivation nowadays at this later stages of my career than maybe what I needed five years ago or 10 years ago. Things are different. My life is evolving,” Novak Djokovic said. 

He further went on to add, “Goran and the rest of the team are trying to find new ways to motivate me. They haven’t been succeeding much so far (laughs).” Djokovic revealed how they played around each other and used slang to create new words.

Novak Djokovic and Goran Ivanisevic shared a unique bond but relationships sometimes must come to an end fro growth. Share your thoughts on their recent split.

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