It’s been a successful fortnight for Team Djokovic at the Australian Open, as seven-time champion Novak Djokovic is now only one victory away from lifting his eighth trophy in Melbourne. But the Serbian hasn’t been the only member of his team to have a big tournament.
On Monday, the International Tennis Hall of Fame revealed in Melbourne that Goran Ivanisevic, one of Djokovic’s coaches, will be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame this July.
“I’m really glad to see him enter the Hall of Fame this year. He is a great friend. He has been a mentor for many years to me,” Djokovic said. “I’ve seen him on the Tour, of course, when he was finishing his career. Also the past seven or eight years I’ve seen him a lot as a coach of other players. He’s a great guy. [We] speak the same language, come from very similar cultures. He was one of my heroes growing up. We go back since I was 12 years old. I do share some really nice moments with him throughout my upbringing and my evolution as a tennis player.”
Djokovic brought Ivanisevic onboard at Wimbledon last year, joining Marian Vajda. Djokovic triumphed at SW19, and also won titles in Tokyo and Paris last season before leading Serbia to ATP Cup glory to begin 2020. The World No. 2 feels Ivanisevic has been a valuable member of his team.
“He brings obviously a little bit of a different style of coaching than Marian, but they are working synergistically very well. They complement each other,” Djokovic said. “Goran, his philosophy has always been less is more, kind of giving the right information to the player, then understanding how a player can actually benefit from that. He likes to simplify things. It’s working well.”
Ivanisevic, who climbed as high as No. 2 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, won 22 titles and 599 matches at tour-level, with his biggest triumph coming at Wimbledon in 2001 as a wild card.
“He has been a significant part of my growth as a tennis player,” Djokovic said. “To have him in my corner, in my box, is really a great honour and great pleasure.”
