‘We Have Achieved a Lot Together’ – Novak Djokovic Pays Homage to His Former Coach Marian Vajda

So far, world no.1, Novak Djokovic, had a pretty rough year in terms of playing time on the tour. Recently, he played in the Serbian Open and reached the final of that tournament. Unfortunately, he lost to Andrey Rublev in three sets. Despite losing, he had a pretty special moment at the end of the match.

The Serb invited his former team members, which included his former coach Marian Vajda, and they really enjoyed their meeting together, with some fun time. At that moment, Djokovic also spoke about the contribution of his former coaches and teammates. 

Novak Djokovic thanked his former team members 

In the final match, the 20-time Grand Slam champion lost to Rublev by, 6-2,6-7,6-0. However, the loss had very little effect on Novak, as he celebrated with his former teammates after the match. He invited Marian Vajda, Milan Amanovic, and Gebhard Gritsch to celebrate their time together for many years on the tour. 

After the match, Novak said, “We have achieved a lot together. I wanted to celebrate that and this was an ideal opportunity.”

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Novak’s former coach, Vajda, also thanked the Serb for countless memories over the past 15 years. He also joked about not enjoying most of the time with Djokovic. “I thank Nole for the past 15 years. I’ve enjoyed everything most of the time. Half of the time. Secondly, I would like to extend my gratitude to the Djokovic family who selected me at the beginning of Novak’s career and I also thank my family for their support… I’ll always be by Novak’s side at key moments and when key decisions are made. Thank you all very much.”

Earlier in March, Novak announced the split between him and Vajda after almost 15 years of working together. He also posted a heartfelt message on Twitter about the split. Currently, Goran Ivanisevic is his main coach. 

Novak is ready for the Madrid Open

The draw for the Madrid Open came out yesterday, and it is safe to say that the world no.1 doesn’t have an easy draw. As the no.1 seed, he will get a bye in the first round. However, in the second round, he could potentially face Gael Monfils. In addition, other top players like Dominic Thiem, Andy Murray, Rafael Nadal, and Carlos Alcaraz fell in the same half of the draw. 

It means we could see some great matches going forward, and possibly a semi-final clash with Nadal. Novak will start his campaign on May 3rd at the Madrid Open. 

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How far can Novak go at the Madrid Open? Let us know in the comments.