Dethroned Djokovic in coaching split
Tennis ace Novak Djokovic has thanked his coach of 15 years after the pair parted ways for the second time following a highly-successful tenure together.
The Serbian world number two took to his official website to announce the split from Marian Vajda, and addressed it further on social media by sharing a photo of them bumping fists on court.
"What a journey, Marian. 15 years," the Serb wrote to the Slovakian.
"You have been by my side during the most important and memorable moments. We have achieved the unachievable and I will forever be grateful for your friendship and dedication," Djokovic added.
"You will always be my family and I can’t thank you enough for everything."
What a journey Marian. 15 years! 🤯😃 You have been by my side during the most important & memorable moments. We have achieved the unachievable & I will forever be grateful for your friendship & dedication. You will always be my family & I can’t thank you enough for everything 🙏🏻 pic.twitter.com/8ihJP2VpiS
— Novak Djokovic (@DjokerNole) March 2, 2022
Vajda said he would remember his time with Djokovic "with immense pride" and is now looking "forward to new challenges".
"During my time with Novak, I have been lucky to watch him transform into the player he is today. I will look back on our time together with immense pride and am so very thankful for the success we have achieved," Vajda said in the announcement post on Djokovic's official website.
Djokovic and Vajda separate after a fruitful 2021 season that saw the 34-year-old win all but one Grand Slam on the way to being beaten by Daniil Medvedev in the US Open final.
Their time has been less enjoyable in 2022, however, which started with a vaccine and visa row for Djokovic in Australia where he was deported and not allowed to defend his Australian Open crown relinquished to Rafael Nadal, who surpassed him in all-time Grand Slam wins on 21 titles.
Djokovic made his comeback to the sport last week at the Dubai Open, but was knocked out in the quarter-finals by Jiri Vesely and therefore ceded the ATP world number one spot to Medvedev, who was recently beaten by Nadal in the semi-finals of the Mexican Open.
Yet Djokovic and Vajda split on amicable terms, with the 56-year-old coach previously stating that he wished to spend more time with his family.
Starting to oversee Djokovic's career from 2006 through to 2017, Vajda returned to coaching Djokovic in 2018 when he won the ATP's Coach of the Year award.
On Vajda's watch, Djokovic won all 20 of his Grand Slam titles and the Serb now has to head forward without his mentor while having previously worked alongside other legends of the game including Boris Becker and Andre Agassi.
Goran Ivanisevic also falls into this category. And after becoming part of Djokovic's team in 2019, the Croat will reportedly continue in his role with major tournaments such as the French Open and Wimbledon, where Djokovic is the reigning champion, on the horizon, should the Serb be cleared to compete.
