Home

Tennis

“Novak is a Perfectionist”: Goran Ivanisevic Details the Challenges of Coaching Novak Djokovic

Published 07/20/2021, 6:30 AM EDT

Follow Us

via Reuters

Novak Djokovic has been at the heart of the action for a while now. A couple of weeks ago, he made front-page headlines after winning the 2021 Wimbledon Championship. It was a record 20th Grand Slam title for him. Even as he equaled a record only held by his fellow ‘G.O.A.T’s, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, fans believe the Serbian is way past his counterparts as he is playing on a whole other level.

The 34-year-old’s grit and determination were on display throughout his Wimbledon campaign. Despite his success in both the French Open and the 2021 Australian Open, a hungry Novak Djokovic would not settle for anything less than the title.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Reflecting upon the same, his coach, Goran Ivanisevic, talked about the challenges of working with a player of his stature. Novak’s hunger for more and his desire to get better continues to drive him forward. However, as much as Goran lauds his attitude, he wonders if he will ever be satisfied.

“In other way can be tough sometimes because he wants better. Today he was good, tomorrow has to be better, better. I mean, till when?” Goran said.

“He’s a perfectionist”- Goran Ivanisevic

Despite Novak being his prodigy, coach Goran explained how influential Novak’s character can be on the coach himself. He said, “Novak is a perfectionist who in one way is unbelievable for me as a coach and Marian. He drives you to be better every day.”

via Reuters

In his bid to get better than before, Djokovic also worked on elements that would have turned into his weakness if not addressed. The result of his effort was clearly seen during his Wimbledon campaign. However, Coach Goran does not take much credit for the successful experiment.

Trending

Get instantly notified of the hottest Tennis stories via Google! Click on Follow Us and Tap the Blue Star.

Follow Us

“I always told him that he has good volleys, but he never wants to come to the net. Somehow in Wimbledon, we saw semis and final on very important points… I didn’t change his technique. I’m not there. But just give confidence for him to understand he can do it in the big points,” said Goran.

Watch this story: Olympic Legends Serena Williams, LeBron James, Lin Dan and Others Missing Out on Tokyo Olympics 2020

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Novak Djokovic is unstoppable

Novak has been in the form of his life. Even though every game challenged him differently, the Serbian approached each threat with a consistently excellent form and eliminated any odds of him ending on the losing side. Throughout the 2021 season, he has looked in impeccable touch, playing in a lethal attacking style and putting on a defensive masterclass whenever needed. Even though only halfway through, this is already one of his most successful seasons ever.

via Reuters

However, all eyes will soon turn to him as he goes for gold at the Tokyo Olympics. Fans would love to see Novak add an Olympic gold medal to his bag of accolades in an already immensely decorated season.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Fans In Shock as Novak Djokovic Returns to Training Just Weeks After Wimbledon Triumph

SHARE THIS ARTICLE :

Written by:

Melroy Fernandes

282Articles

One take at a time

Melroy Joseph Fernandes is a Tennis author at EssentiallySports. A Mass Media graduate, Melroy has been a content writer for the past 6 years, curating stories for several brands, starting from his own. At the age of 17, Melroy began his writing Journey with Team BIB, an event management company for everything Art and Entertainment.
Show More>