Goran Ivanisevic - Novak Djokovic as Real Madrid
Goran Ivanisevic , the trainer of world number one Novak Djokovic , explained what it is like to work with the man from Serbia.
by Michael Rothschädl
last edit: Apr 10, 2021, 07:24 am
Novak Djokovic's hunt for the biggest tennis records has only recently become one more successful chapter. The world number one, most recently successful on the big major stage at the Australian Open for the 18th time, overtook Roger Federer as the player with the most weeks as number one at the beginning of March - and is now about to set a record for eternity.
For the man from Serbia, however, there is no reason to put his feet up, as his trainer Goran Ivanisevic emphasizes: "At Novak, what is good today is no longer good tomorrow," explains the Croat. "Every day has to be better than the previous one. It always wants to improve and that spurs me on to become a better coach every time," Spanish tennis portal Punto de Break quoted Ivansisevic as saying.
Novak Djokovic like an institution
The trainer finds a very interesting comparison of what it means to train the current industry leader: "It's like training Real Madrid. If you lose two games, the audience asks you to leave and they want to kick you out. Novak is like an institution. He just wants records, victories, victories and victories. " That is a lot of pressure. "But life without pressure is boring," emphasizes the 49-year-old.
The pressure comes from the fact that the world number one does not want to be satisfied with a semi-final or final: "It is not easy to deal with moments in which there are many ups and downs, in which the pressure is very great, because that Reaching a final is not enough, "explains Ivanisevic, who led his compatriot Marin Cilic to triumph at the US Open before working with Djokovic.
The hunt for trophies and records from Novak Djokovic, meanwhile, continues on the clay court. The industry leader is currently preparing meticulously for the European clay court swing, during which three Masters 1000 events are on the program. The big highlight for Djokovic is undoubtedly the French Open. A tournament in which the 33-year-old suffered such a bitter final defeat against Rafael Nadal last year.