Novak Djokovic just had one of the best seasons of his career. With three Grand Slams under his belt, he finished the year as the world’s number-one player. Djokovic owed his success to his coach, Goran Ivanisevic, who has been by his side through ups and downs. So when Ivanisevic did not win the ATP Coach of the Year award, Novak felt his instructor was hard done by.
Young Italian star Jannik Sinner truly soared this year. He showed remarkable improvement in his performance and really peaked in the last quarter of the year. Jannik went from being ranked no. 15 in the world to breaking into the top 5. It is not surprising, then, that Darren Cahill and Simone Vagnozzi, Jannik’s coaches, walked away with the award.
Novak took to social media to make his disappointment known. He resorted to sarcasm, stating that winning three Grand Slams and ending the year as No. 1 was not enough for Goran to win.
😯 Djokovic on IG, on the ATP ‘Coach of the Year’ Award:
“Goran, I guess we need to win 4/4 slams in order for you to maybe (just maybe) be considered coach of the year.
Winning Year-End #1, 3GS, WTF and making history of this sport is not enough, my dear coach”
— Olly 🎾🇬🇧 (@Olly_Tennis_) December 14, 2023
Since then, Novak’s comments have caused ripples within the tennis fraternity. A lot of fans feel that Djokovic showed disdain for a young player’s achievements. One pointed out that neither Roger Federer nor Rafael Nadal would behave like this.
Several users bashed Djokovic for his statements, not holding back from speaking their minds. One fan called him the “saltiest of all time” for “raining on a young player’s moment.” Here are a few reactions.
rafa and roger have always praised and congratulate the work of the rest of the ATP and have always been supportive of the younger players whilst he’s throwing a tantrum on social media because he can’t bare to give the spotlight to others. once again, rude and classless.
— L (@luciardez) December 14, 2023
SOAT
saltiest of all time
— Partrick Mouratoglou’s Doping Laboratory Scientist (@pcbstan) December 14, 2023
SOAT
saltiest of all time
— Partrick Mouratoglou’s Doping Laboratory Scientist (@pcbstan) December 14, 2023
While Goran may have missed out on the award, his partnership with Novak Djokovic has its dividends. The Serbian is still the most dominant player around.
A former star thinks the new generation respects Novak Djokovic too much
At 36 years of age, Djokovic is still the best in the business. Former world no. 3 Nikolay Davydenko feels that Novak has a psychological edge over the younger generation.
Davydenko stated that the contemporaries of the Big 3 were more competitive than the younger players. He further added that the young crop of players cannot pose a threat to Djokovic. This lets Djokovic reign supreme on the tennis courts.
“Djokovic also beats the younger generation with his head; they are already psychologically losing to him. ‘Ah, Djokovic, that’s all!’ And Novak dominates thanks to this,” he said (via Tennis365).
Novak Djokovic will be seen playing alongside Carlos Alcaraz in the Riyadh Tennis Cup next. He will hope to pick up where he left off when the new season begins.