In a move that was reportedly made at the end of last season, Novak Djokovic and longtime coach Marian Vajda have parted ways.
It was not announced until Tuesday, when both player and coach spoke about the development.
“Marian has been by my side during the most important and memorable moments in my career,” Djokovic reflected. “Together we have achieved some incredible things and I am very grateful for his friendship and dedication over the last 15 years.”
Vajda indicated that he would look back on their partnership “with immense pride” before adding that he is “looking forward to new challenges.”
Djokovic and Vajda began working together in 2006, with only a brief split during the 20-time Grand Slam champion’s injury-plagued 2017 campaign. Vajda was joined by co-coaches on multiple occasions: Boris Becker from 2013 through 2016 and Goran Ivanisevic from 2019 to the present.
Ivanisevic will remain as Djokovic’s primary coach, and the rest of the team–including physios Ulises Badio and Miljan Amanovic plus trainer Marco Panichi–is also intact.
According to reports, Djokovic and Vajda mutually agreed to part ways at the end of the 2021 Nitto ATP Finals in Turin. If that is, in fact, the case then the move has nothing to do with the 34-year-old Serb’s tumultuous start to 2022 and uncertainty moving forward. Djokovic, of course, missed the Australian Open after having his Aussie visa cancelled as a result of being unvaccinated. The world No. 2 is unlikely to play upcoming Masters 1000 events in Indian Wells and Miami, and his status for various European clay-court tournaments is in question.
wonder if there’s a real story to this….
It did occur to me that they agreed to say they had already agreed to part ways when in fact this was not the case. I don’t suppose Vajda is exactly thrilled by Novax being no-vax and missing large numbers of tournaments.
yep
Ricky, I agree! I truly wonder if there is more to this story. While many Serbians (Serbs?) may condone some of their national hero’s more questionable behavior, it’s not true that all Serbs are scientifically clueless vaccine skeptics who believe that a sincere prayer can change contaminated water into wine. But Wajda has probably a certain amount of inside knowledge about the curious case of Djokovic’s at first negative and then conveniently positive PCR-test. This is totally spekulative – but it’s certainly possible that not all members of Djokovic’s entourage fall in line.
I remember reading Vajda’s tweet or something that says he will work with Joker until all records are broken…After reaching 20 last year, they seem pretty much convinced that joker will keep adding slams and agreed to take break….. Rafa spoiled the party.. atleast for a while.
Raj, this makes Wajda’s departure even more interesting. Why doesn’t he stick around just a bit longer – and who actually initiated the split?
While Rafa’s latest reincaration as the best hardcourt player of the admittedly still young season and his record breaking win in Melbourne have changed the narrative of the GOAT script a bit, it’s still not at all unthinkable that Djokovic could equalize or break the slam record which is now exclusively in Rafa’s hands, in the near future. It could even happen in 2022 if there will be a world wide relaxation of the anti-corona regulations. A fit Djokovic will definitely be amongst the top favorites for the rest of the 2022 slams – especially since Rafa’s health will always be a legitimate concern.
Not working with Vajda is a big blow for Novax. He’s struggled without him.
Wonder if he will go completely insane and bring back guru Pepe.
If he does, he may not win another slam.
He’s still got Ivanisevic.
Ivanisevic is not a picture of calm. He is a loudmouth . Remember his statements before 20 rg final
I wouldnt be surprised if he wins no Slams this year.
Just as in 2017 .Over the years he has missed the chance of quite a few Slam titles with only himself to blame. What a waster.
Er, how so? He hasn’t missed that many slams, only USO in 2017 and AO2022.
In fact he’s the most consistent among the big three; Fed had been consistent for some time until 2016 when he started to miss some slams.
He wasted some slams? You couldn’t say for sure that had he not wasted them he would win them, as there’s simply no guarantee! Given his low success rate at the USO, even he was fit and healthy to play there, he might not win in 2017; the same could be said of his defaulted USO in 2020. There were many players who could beat him at the USO – Rafa, Stan, Murray, Meddy, and Thiem the USO2020 winner even ran him close at the AO final in 2020!
You could argue that had he played this AO, it would be tough for Rafa to win it, yet had Djoko met Meddy in the final, Meddy might again beat him like he did at the USO last year. Even if you assumed that Rafa couldn’t beat Djoko if they met in the SF, it would be a draining SF, and Djoko would be flat in the final and Meddy would be at an advantage.
I seriously don’t think Djoko has or had wasted that many chances tbh.
He was still the favourite at US 2020 and AO this year both wasted completely unavoidable chances.
In his case he missed chances not because of injury like Fed Murray or Rafa but simply his own attitude.
Big Al, it’s impossible to say what would have happened if Djokovic would have participated at the 2017, 2020 US Open and the 2022 AO. In 2017 he was still totally out of form. That’s why he skipped the US Open in the first place, and in 2017 he would not have been the favorite. In 2020 he could indeed have won if he had not been disqualified – but Thiem and Zverev were in great shape, too. As to the 2022 AO – who knows? He definitely would have been the overwhelming favorite because of his stellar AO record, and as Luckystar has said, he might’ve beaten Rafa if they had met in the semis, since Rafa has not won against Novak on hardcourt since 2013. But we cannot even say for sure that Djokovic would have reached the semis, and that he then would have won against Medvedev. Djokovic has been a tad vulnerable after all in the last few months.
While a deportation may be the most bizarre reason for not being able to participate at a slam, I think we really cannot accuse Novak of being a wastrel. He has been one of the most consistent top players ever, and he won many trophies without being in top form!
Djoko fans are going overboard claiming that since France has lifted vaccine pass , Rafa is now mighty scared 🙂
Bring Novak on. A healthy Rafa can and will easily handle him at RG . Don’t forget rafas foot flared in the semi last year towards end of third set . All that is needed is Rafa to be healthy. There is a reason why Novak could not beat Rafa after Novak became no 1 in 12,13,14,20 at french .
Borg said the real Rafa is playing now without injury and that it was clear to him Rafa’s movement was impeded at RG last year. Of course there was a problem! Rafa could scarcely get around the court in the fourth set and you could see he was really struggling in the third physically especially in the tiebreak.
There’s plenty of time to go between now and RG. He may very well not be able to play.
I agree. Rafa could easily get injured by the time RG starts…
Why are we talking about Rafa getting injured? Please stop with this! He is healthy now. We cannot know what will happen with his foot. But I prefer to stay in the moment.
I was talking about Novax and the vaccine mandate!
Claymore is a Novax fan I think engaging in wishful thinking..
Who is Claymore?
Anonymous/Concerned citizen
Yeah, Who would want to be a Novax fan right now.
Yes though they seem to make it sound all rosy and amicable on the outside , the seperation surely was triggered by something
Just seen that Rafa is the first player in the Open era to win 30 titles without dropping a set.
He’s the most dominant player on clay ever so thats hardly a surprise …
Good to see the retired Sergai Stakhovsky still representing his country
So absolutely sod all had happened with Zverev?! If so, the ATP has lost all credibility.
Pathetic!
What has Zverev got to do with this?
Oh I see hitting the chair.
Disgusting!
So they are not going to do something about Zverev? That is outrageous!
NNY, I agree! It’s ridiculous that his rage against the umpire doesn’t have further consequences!
And I really want to know where the ATP stands in connection with their investigations of the domestic abuse accusations against Zverev! How long can it take to look at the available evidence??
littlefoot,
Thank you so much! I was going to come here and express my concern about tennis not getting involved with domestic violence accusations. Even the NFL is cracking down on incidents of domestic violence among their players.
The sport of tennis has to wake up and start taking action. Abusers do not stop and they do not get better. Someone will end up getting hurt.
Its difficult unless theres a proper investigation which reaches a conclusion even if theres no concrete evidence. We all saw him hit the chair , but we base our judgement on whether we like him or not .Hitting the chair wasnt that bad in itself he would have hit the umpire if he’d really wanted to. Plus theres a natural tendency to believe a vulnerable ‘victim’.
Your attitude toward domestic violence is why women are still dying. We see it every day in the news. Your patronizing tone is frankly quite offensive. An arrest must occur if there are bruises. I assume Zverev’s girlfriend was too afraid to call the police,
No witnesses does not mean nothing happened. Laws have become stricter in recent years. Your justification of his actions shows exactly what the problem is and why women keep dying.
These men do not get better and do not stop. Period.
Well thats pretty strongly worded .What makes you think I want to let these abusers off? Do you think he should be arrested and charged right now?
I guess I should apologise if you misunderstood .I simply dont know details of this case . If there were bruises then that would be evidence – but since as you say, she didnt go to the police, all I have to go on is him hitting the chair with his racquet . Id like to see a proper investigation to determine the likelihood of him being guilty
Wow. Thats some post at 11.09am !
Al,
When this first came out I spoke about my own experience. I would normally never do that. It’s not something I care to relive. I obviously have strong feelings about it. I saw a story a few months ago about a young woman who was in the car with her boyfriend going to court on an unrelated issue. She apparently told him that she was leaving him because of the abuse. He stopped the car, dragged her out and then somehow he had either an axe or a machete. He cut off her head and left it there next to her body. People saw it and called the police and he was arrested,
That’s when I can’t sleep at night. I remember years ago when I was in weekly meetings with a domestic violence group. There was one young woman who had tried everything. She got restraining orders. He didn’t stop. He violated the restraining orders. He stalked her and followed her to work. She was at the end of her rope. She looked at us and said – “Please someone help me. I don’t want to die.”
I never found out what happened to her. But I never forgot her. You may think I am being too hard on you. Maybe you are right. But I am a survivor and it was hell on earth to do it. I don’t take life for granted. I read about women trying to get out and ending up dead. Sone of these men will not let go.
I wish this was never part of my life experience. Dealing with a life and death situation changes a person. But I am lucky because I am still here.
I am not personally blaming you. But it is not okay for anyone to live like this. Zverev has problems. The way he overreacted to the chair umpire was just scary. This time no one got hurt. What about next time. Because there is always a next time. I believe his girlfriend. I have been there.
I do not mean to come to come down so hard on you. But it is hard to read some of the things you say.
That’s all I have to say.
OK NNY. I cant imagine what its like to actually go through that . I believe its likely Zverevs girlfriend is telling the truth – but Im not sure what way the law would deal with it .
Al,
I should not have taken it out on you. As far as the law dealing with it, nothing is going to happen. She did not press charges. So case closed. She is free to move on with her life.
I can’t fix everything. Sometimes there is justice and sometimes there is another dead woman. It will always affect me deeply.
I would hope that Zverev will get some help. But I am not that optimistic.
NNY, I’m sorry about your experience and Im very happy that you were able to articulate it this well and are doing well now.
Personally, I have never been is an abusive relationship, but in St. Lucia where I’m from and live the gov’t does not take it seriously enough in my view and we have had some tragic incidences. What ppl don’t realise is that anyone who is not able to control their anger, is inclined to violence. That is y the issue with Zverev should have led to stricter sanctions. Was he even requested to attend anger management classes?!!! That is y Rafa said that if this issue is not dealt with it will not stop, and one day something bad can happen. The ATP surely needs to nip this in the bud! Even with the smashing of rackets, that really should not be tolerated, it is not cool at all!! Like the saying goes, You may not be able to control your emotions but your behavior you should always be able to control!!
Well said Mona!😀
Mona,
Thank you. I am disappointed that they did not enforce a suspension with Zverev. It sets a bad precedent. He has a problem. It will not get better. He completely overreacted to what happened. That is typical of abusive people. The chair umpire felt the need to move his feet because he was afraid of getting hit.
At least his girlfriend is alive. She gets to move on with her life. As I said, these men do not stop and do not get better. Maybe at some point the tennis organization will step up and take a stand against domestic abuse and all forms of abuse.
Its a coincidence he also happens to be Russian…
Big Al, now you are not making any sense whatsoever! Zverev has Russian parents, but he has been a German citizen since he was born in Hamburg. And the ATP investigations have started many months before the war started. This has nothing whatsoever to do with current anti-Russian resentments!
I totally support the maxime “innocent until proven guilty”. Without this maxime we open the door for all kinds of misuse. However, Zverev’s ex-girlfriend has given a detailed description of what she says has happened to her, and she also supplied pieces of circumstantial evidence and named a few witnesses who could verify a few parts of her narrative, although they did not witness the alleged abuse directly. But this seems to be a bit more than just a “he said/she said” situation, and her narrative seems to be plausible. Of course the ATP cannot simply say: “Girl, we believe you, and we will punish your ex-boyfriend and we have no further questions.” But they can take a closer look at the accusations and the circumstantial evidence. I read somewhere that they hired an investigator. But that was many months ago, and I ask myself why this takes so long.
As to Zverev’s angry hits at the umire’s chair – nobody here has said that his racquet abuse is proof that he is also guilty of domestic abuse. But it demonstrated that Zverev clearly has an anger management problem and a very short fuse. It is especially puzzling that this outburst was triggered after he lost a match which wasn’t even especially important for him. And this does indeed make the accusation of his ex-girlfriend more plausible because it doesn’t seem to be totally out of character.
Yes, I agree an investigation is needed as I stated above.
I thought he was born Russian and lived in Germany .It has no bearing on the case .
Thanks Littlefoot thats what I was trying to say .A balanced view when emotions tend to take over .
😀
Big Al, Zverev has indeed be a German citizen since he was born in Hamburg. But his roots are fully Russian. He has no German ancestors. His parents immigrated before he was born with his older brother Misha in tow, who was born in Russia.
Zverev’s Russian roots may be one of many reasons why German tennis fans never fully embraced him, although he is the best German tennis player since the heydays of Tommy Haas. But this has nothing to do with the war, and it’s certainly not the main problem.
An excellent post.
Who wants to have a good laugh ? Have a good laugh at the expense of lunatic Novak fans ..France lifted the vaccine pass n they already giving him french n wimby 🙂
https://mobile.twitter.com/pavyg/status/1499416235515297806
Hold your horses. We’ll see who will have the final laugh.
Instead, take a look at this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=222ztGhX4SE
The full video can be found here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMJV3uBqWKk
Let’s not be that politically correct and give Zverev the maximum benefit of the doubt (like many did with Putin and people died because of it). He was not just abusing his racquet, he abused the umpire period. If he did the same with a baseball bat, would that have been okay? Or if he pulled a knife and started sharpening it in front of the referee? That would have been called “knife abuse” I guess.
Zverev is a proven abuser who loses it but yes, it will be hard to prove that he abused his GF. I have no reason to doubt it now though.
It’s true, ATP can’t sanction Zverev for domestic abuse unless proven guilty, but they should have slammed him really hard for what he did in Acapulco. If I were a tennis referee I would refuse to umpire his games until he’s punished.
The worst thing that can happen to this kind of abusing people is to start feeling that they can get away with anything.
I think Zverev should be punished much more than just a fine for overreacting and aggressive behaviour, but I have a feeling that after checking hawkeye, the ball in dispute was out but the umpire calling it in really decided the outcome of the match as it gave the opposition matchpoint on their serve. As Zverev had already been defaulted from Acapulco, the ATP probably thinks that is enough punishment.
All matches, big or small, singles or doubles should have electronic line calling to make it as fair as possible for everyone. If the tournament cannot afford electronic line calls, then a video of the call in dispute should be used to adjudicate a challenge whether it’s an umpire’s overrule or a line judge’s call. There is no excuse for the slip-shod line calling that’s been acceptable in tennis for so long. Line calls have to be fair and correct because it could have a lasting effect on career achievemnents and there are no asterisks to say there was a call in dispute.
And don’t get me started on foot fault that the player is not ion a position to challenge because he can’t tell whether his foot went over the line or not.
IMO this is a wrong starting point for the electronic line calling discussion, it may look like you’re endorsing Zverev for his behaviour.
Also if a match depends on a line call then winning it would deserve an asterisk to mark a lucky win.
I am just trying to understand why the punishment is not more severe.
We have seen many instances where players have been at the end of their tether convinced that they have wrongly lost a point because they thought the line judge or umpire got the call wrong and they just had to grin and bear it. This problem needs to be looked at. In a tight match it could decide winning or losing the match. All they have to do is use hawkeye as a Video Assiatant Umpire.
Almost every player has experienced this problem.