After his split with former coach Goran Ivanisevic, Novak Djokovic’s coaching prospects were commented on by Andy Roddick.
Djokovic and Ivanisevic ended their six-year partnership on a high note after achieving 12 Grand Slam titles together. In 2018, Ivanisevic took over as the Serb’s head coach, replacing Marian Vajda, and the two worked together until their recent separation.
On the ‘Served with Andy Roddick podcast,’ Roddick discussed potential candidates who could replace the Croatian player. However, before disclosing his picks, the American playfully questioned the necessity of a coach for Novak Djokovic, suggesting that even his cat could guide the World No. 1 to success.
“But it’s already weirdly framed question because, does he need a coach? Like I think my cat could coach him and do a pretty good job, probably win a bunch of matches”he said (at 34:08).
Despite this, Roddick put forth Marian Vajda as the perfect choice, noting his previous successful collaboration with the Serb for a total of 13 years. He reasoned that the 36-year-old would be hesitant to make any changes to his coaching team right before the upcoming French Open and Wimbledon tournaments.
“But, the thing is, he’s 36. It’s a weird moment where does he think he’s in there with these other three superhumans. I think that you would want someone, I don’t think you would do a trial run with no coach before Roland Garros and Wimbledon,”he said. “If I’m Novak and won that many Slams, I would want something that’s consistent where I didn’t feel like I was getting to know someone.”
“So my mind automatically goes to Marian Vajda because that’s the guy who’s in and then he’s out and then he’s sometimes back in, it seems like this consistent insurance policy. And he’s, more so than anyone else, helped develop Novak and turn him into the person and not just tag along on other successes,”he added.
The ex-World No. 1 also mentioned Boris Becker as a potential candidate, pointing out the German’s successful coaching of Djokovic during the period of 2013 to 2016 when the 24-time Grand Slam champion was under his guidance.
“You know another name that Novak, to his credit, really stood by during rough times, who didn’t work in his most recent coaching gig, is Boris Becker. They had a lot of success and so if I’m Novak and I have a hitting partner and I have all this infrastructure, maybe I don’t need someone there all the time,”Roddick said.
“But at Wimbledon, if you’re breaking down a matchup, even if it’s just confirmation bias, like, I’m going into this and I think this’ and Becker goes, ‘Well, yeah I see that too,’ that holds a lot of water in the psyche of an athlete,”he added.
Andy Roddick Predicts Djokovic’s Next Move in Tennis
Although he publicly supported Boris Becker as Goran Ivanisevic’s successor, Andy Roddick confessed that he is not privy to the reasons for Novak Djokovic and Becker’s separation, and he is unsure if there are any lingering issues between them.
Reflecting on his personal experience of separating from Brad Gilbert during his time as a professional player, the ex-World No. 1 recognized the difficulty of overcoming such separations.
“For me, outside looking in, that seems like a very comfortable landing spot that has proven successes. Now, I don’t exactly know why they stopped in the first place so you don’t know if there’s any scar tissue that’s unspoken,”he said.
“You know, Brad and I broke up and it was pretty rough for a couple of years, we eventually got over it. So, you think enough time passes, it’d be worth revisiting,”he added.
Roddick added that he would be surprised if Djokovic opted for a completely new coach, as he believes the 24-time Grand Slam winner would prefer someone who is already familiar with his methods.
“If I’m Novak, I got to think I would bring in someone who at least knows the way I operate, who knows the rest of the team around me. I would be shocked if he takes a swing and brings someone entirely new,”Roddick said.
As the Monte-Carlo Masters approaches on April 7, fans are eagerly anticipating Novak Djokovic’s participation and wondering if he will have a new coach joining his team for the claycourt tournament.
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