World No. 1 Novak Djokovic has confirmed the addition of a new short-term coach to his team for this year’s Roland Garros: Boris Bosnjakovic. The Serbian has been without a permanent coach since ending his long partnership with Goran Ivanisevic.
Bosnjakovic, a 50-year-old from the town of Novi Sad, has been a significant influence on Djokovic’s professional career. It remains to be seen how he can make changes to Djokovic’s game, which has been under a microscope this year.
Since my split with Goran (Ivanisevic), I never confirmed that I have a permanent coach. I said that Nenad was there to help me as a friend and as a mentor, as someone who I regard important in my life.Novak Djokovic said during his pre-Roland Garros press conference
The 24-time champion has expressed concern about a decline in form following his devastating loss to Tomas Machac in the Geneva semi-final. Many fans have called for Djokovic to hire a new coach to improve his game.
Boris is a part of my technical team, so to say, when it comes to analysis of my rivals, matches and my own game. We’ve been cooperating for several years in various roles, Boris had been the head coach at Novak Tennis Centre. He is going to be my tennis coach in Paris, he will work with me on analysis, preparations and tactics. As for what comes after this tournament, I don’t have a long-term coaching solution at this moment.Novak Djokovic added
The Belgrade native is now in Paris to start his French Open campaign. He will open his tournament against France’s Pierre-Hugues Herbert on Tuesday. Djokovic will also be bidding to become the first player in tennis history to win 25 Grand Slam singles titles.
How can Novak Djokovic evolve his game again?
It’s almost deja vu as far as Novak Djokovic is concerned. The last time the Serbian went the first six months without an ATP title was in 2018. The World No. 1 has a 14-6 win-loss record this year and has not even made an ATP final so far.
However, in 2018, there were a few adjustments that Djokovic made to his game that eventually propelled him to win Wimbledon and the US Open back-to-back and eventually finish the season as the World No. 1.
He added Goran Ivanisevic to his team. The 2001 Wimbledon champion was always known for his sharp volleys and accurate serves. The tennis world saw the evolution of Djokovic’s game under him as he became almost invincible on his serve and refused to get broken at any opportunity.
So far this season, it’s almost as if he’s in trouble in every second service game. In the match he lost in Rome against Alejandro Tabilo, he double-faulted thrice on breakpoints, literally gifting his service games away.
On a physically demanding surface like clay, where players need to strive for every point, free points from first serves will do him a huge favor, especially at the age of 37.
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