Ever since Novak Djokovic wrapped up his long-term partnership with Goran Ivanisevic last year, there’s been a lot of chatter about his coaching situation. After that, he teamed up with his longtime rival, Andy Murray, for a short but interesting collaboration. It started off with a lot of potential, but in the end, it wrapped up on mutual terms after a few disappointing results.

“It was mutual,” Djokovic said after parting ways with Murray. “We both wanted to have a call and to speak, so we—actually, we both were on the same page. So it was not, you know, his initiative or my initiative. It was both of us coming together and just saying, you know, I think we should stop here. That’s what it was.” After that, Djokovic shared that he doesn’t feel rushed to find a new full-time coach. Instead, he’s sticking with his current team, Dusan Vemic and Boris Bosnjakovic, and is keeping his schedule mainly focused on Grand Slams.

So, there’s this exciting new possibility that’s come up, hinting that Djokovic might be considering a pretty unique coaching setup. Recently, Djokovic had a chat with Serbian reporters before the US Open, and he hinted pretty strongly that he’s been in talks with a WTA legend and his childhood hero, which pretty much points to the iconic Monica Seles.

As reported by Claytennis, with a knowing grin, he stated, “I think you know who I’m talking about. I’m smiling because it’s like you’ve read my mind, but I can’t tell you anything. I’ve been stirring the pot a little, talking… We’ll see; you’ll be informed. We’ll see. These are just initial talks, and it’s more about the emotional aspect than a long-term partnership. That would mean a lot to me. I think you know who I’m talking about, but let’s not go into names now, so I don’t jump the gun. If it even happens… We’ve had some interesting conversations.”

This emotional aspect is really important because it directly relates to Seles, who Djokovic has often mentioned as a huge influence from his younger days. He often shares stories about how his first coach, Jelena Gencic, used Seles as the gold standard for discipline and excellence while he was growing up in Serbia.

So, while we don’t have any official word just yet, the idea of Monica Seles—who’s a nine-time Grand Slam champ and really knows a thing or two about resilience and powerful shot-making—teaming up with Team Djokovic in any way is just such a cool and meaningful thought. It would definitely be a historic partnership! But how does the Serbian superstar feel about the mixed doubles at the current US Open with all the ongoing controversy?

Novak Djokovic talks with experience

The updated 2025 US Open mixed doubles event had a smaller group of 16 teams, using quick formats like no-ad scoring and best-of-three short sets. It was quite surprising to see some big names like Carlos Alcaraz, Emma Raducanu, and Novak Djokovic exit the tournament earlier than expected. Even though they did really well in singles, they found it tough to adjust to the different vibe of mixed doubles.

Djokovic pointed out that the early exits were due to some deeper technical and strategic challenges that singles players usually encounter in doubles, stating, “[In singles] we normally return to the middle of the court and you start off the rally, you start off the point. But in doubles, if you play someone that understands how to position himself or herself at the net, you’re done; the point is finished. So you kind of have to find those angles and really be precise or maybe chip the return over the player. Those types of things I never practice. So I have to make those adjustments personally, also knowing when to cross, particularly when playing with Olga, trying to understand each other, because we don’t get to play often.”

The Serbian’s point really highlights something important: mixed doubles isn’t only about how well you move on the court; it’s also about how well you work together, predict each other’s moves, and build that team connection—skills that doubles specialists usually have down pat. The tournament’s new format was meant to spice things up and make mixed doubles more exciting and visible, but it really showed how players used to going solo can struggle with the faster, more strategic doubles play.