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Djokovic parts ways with coaching team in bid to boost results
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 [May 05, 2017]
(Reuters) - World number two
Novak Djokovic has parted company with his coaching team in a bid to
halt a run of poor results which culminated in a quarter-final exit
at the Monte Carlo Masters last month.
A winner of 12 Grand Slam titles, the Serb has suffered a noticeable
dip in form since winning his maiden French Open last June,
relinquishing top spot in the ATP rankings to Briton Andy Murray
five months later.
He made a shock second-round exit at the Australian Open to Uzbek
Denis Istomin, followed by successive defeats to Australia's Nick
Kyrgios in Acapulco and Indian Wells, before being beaten by Belgian
David Goffin in Monte Carlo.
On Friday, the 29-year-old announced that he would part ways with
his coach Marian Vajda, fitness coach Gebhard Phil Gritsch, and
physiotherapist Miljan Amanovic.
"I am forever grateful to Marian, GG and Miljan for a decade of
friendship, professionalism and commitment to my career goals," he
said in a statement. "It was not an easy decision, but we all felt
that we need a change.
"I want to continue raising the level of my game and stamina and
this is a continuous process... I am a hunter and my biggest goal is
to find the winning spark on the court again."
Djokovic's overhaul by Murray at the top of the rankings ended a run
of more than two years as number one for the Serb, who has spent a
total of 223 weeks at the summit during his career.
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Serbia's Novak Djokovic in action against Australia's Nick Kyrgios.
REUTERS/Henry Romero
Djokovic added that he would take his time before naming a new head
coach.
"I feel like this is a new chapter in my life," he said. "My career
was always on the upward path and this time I'm experiencing how it
is when the path takes you in a different direction.
"I have been on the tour long enough to know how to manage daily
routines and I don't want to rush my decision... I will inform the
public when I find the right person, but for now I thank you for
your support and understanding.
(Reporting by Simon Jennings in Bengaluru; Editing by Toby Chopra) [© 2017 Thomson Reuters. All
rights reserved.]
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