“10 days pass, Novak Djokovic goes crazy, new coach left wondering what’s going on” – Goran Ivanisevic on Nenad Zimonjic being right pick as successor

Goran Ivanisevic, the former coach of Novak Djokovic, has chosen Nenad Zimonjic, a compatriot of the 24-time Major winner, to be his replacement.

Despite a successful partnership that began in March 2018 and included nine Major titles and four year-end No. 1 finishes for Djokovic, he and Ivanisevic decided to end their collaboration last month due to a series of disappointing results at the start of the 2024 season.

In an interview with a French sports publication, the 52-year-old endorsed Nenad Zimonjic, a former doubles No. 1, to become Novak Djokovic’s next coach. The Croatian player stated that the best option for the 24-time Major champion would be to work with someone he already knows.

“I don’t know for how much longer Novak plans to keep on playing, but the perfect person is with him at the moment – Ziki (Nenad Zimonjic). He is a great friend of mine, we went through a lot together and I love him,”Goran Ivanisevic told Tennis Majors. “He has a vast tennis knowledge, but what is most important – he knows Novak really well.”

“At the moment, Novak doesn’t need someone completely new, who is yet to get to know him,”he added. “Let’s say 10 days pass, Novak goes ‘crazy’ and this new coach is left wondering what is going on.”

Ivanisevic stated that for Djokovic to have a successful coach, they must be from the Balkan peninsula. However, he did acknowledge that Boris Becker, who helped Djokovic win six Major titles from 2014-2016, was a rare exception to this rule.

“I have a theory – man from the Balkans can coach anyone, but only someone from this our region can coach a Balkan player,”he added. “Marian (Vajda) is Slovak, we’re close and we know each other well. Boris (Becker) also worked well with Novak, but his tennis IQ is off the charts.”

Additionally, the ex-Wimbledon champion noted that Zimonjic’s previous connection with the 24-time Major victor would prove advantageous for him.

“Ziki can help him tennis-wise. Novak does know everything already, but it will be refreshing for him to maybe hear the same thing from someone else, with a different approach,”he said. “Ziki knows Novak’s mentality really well, they collaborated in the Davis Cup as well.”

Nenad Zimonjic Coaches Novak Djokovic to Victory at the 2020 ATP Cup

Both Novak Djokovic and Nenad Zimonjic have dominated in their individual disciplines for many years and have a longstanding relationship. They have competed together in numerous doubles tournaments, such as the 2008 and 2016 Olympics. Their partnership also resulted in three wins out of six doubles matches at the Davis Cup from 2007 to 2016, and played a crucial role in securing Serbia’s only title in 2010.

Even after retiring from pro tennis in 2016, Zimonjic continued to be involved in the sport as he became the captain of Serbia’s national tennis team in the following year. Although he was unable to lead his country to a Davis Cup victory during his time as captain, he did achieve success in securing the 2020 ATP Cup. However, he eventually stepped down from his role as captain in the same year.

During the beginning of the week, Nenad Zimonjic was in attendance at the Monte Carlo Country Club while Novak Djokovic began his preparations for the upcoming Monte-Carlo Masters. Zimonjic, who has previously won the tournament twice (in 2013 and 2015), will be the top seed in this year’s competition.