Novak Djokovic’s remarkable resilience was on full display when he reached the Wimbledon finals just days after undergoing knee surgery. While he performed well at the Games, he wore a compression sleeve in his exhibition match against Juan Martin Del Potro at the Arthur Ashe Stadium. Just two days ago, Djokovic failed to appear for the second hour of practice with Holger Rune. His camp cited a medical issue and stated that he would need treatment to determine if he could continue. Despite all this, Nole’s comeback after each of these injury concerns is commendable, bringing his long-time fitness coach Gebhard Phil-Gritsch under the spotlight.

For context. Seventeen years ago, critics pointed out conditioning as a weakness in Djokovic’s game. Hence, Djokovic, seeking to bridge the gap with his legendary rivals Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, had brought on Gebhard Phil-Gritsch. “I felt that I needed a change,” Djokovic had said. “I needed something new to improve on.” Gritsch, best known for his work with Austrian clay-court maestro Thomas Muster, aimed to boost the confidence of an already confident Djokovic. The coach’s “20 years’ experience in high performance tennis player development” is the secret sauce behind Djoker’s crazy longevity in the sport. Let’s start from the start!

Gritsch studied Sports Science and Sports Management at the University of Innsbruck and the University of Vienna, obtaining his masters degree in 1985. In 1994, he earned his doctoral degree from the University of Vienna. Over two decades of experience include being a Fitness Coach of Djokovic for ten years(2009 – 2017 and 2018 – 2019) and acting as a National Coach in the Philippines’ Davis Cup team and Indonesia’s Fed Cup team. In New Zealand, he worked as Head Coach for the Central Region, and as High Performance Consultant to the New Zealand Academy of Sports. The adage “helping athletes reach their ultimate potential in competitive sports”, perfectly suits the globetrotter’s principles.

Despite a brief separation in 2017 and 2018, and another in 2019 when Djokovic sought new perspectives, they reunited this May following his split with Marco Panichi. His holistic approach to performance management, combining scientific training methods with a balanced lifestyle, has been instrumental in Djokovic’s dominance. Gritsch’s expertise is grounded in his extensive research and decades of experience working with elite athletes. Beyond his work with Djokovic, Gritsch provides consulting services to individual athletes, training centers, and sports organizations worldwide, and currently oversees the Elite Training Program at the OOE Olympic Training Center in Austria.

Djokovic initially hired Gritsch for a fresh perspective, but their partnership quickly evolved into a comfortable and effective collaboration.

Novak Djokovic revealed why exactly he reunited with Gritsch

Ahead of the Italian Open, Djokovic explained his delight in working with his old Austrian fitness coach. “It didn’t take much time to adapt to his program and approach. We know each other really well. That’s why I feel like we’re synchronized from the very beginning in terms of what we want to do, how we want to approach the program of training on and off the court,” he said.

Nole further mentioned how this coordination pays him well during his matches. He doesn’t want to appoint new people to his team, but focus on collaborating with old people who have been helpful in his career.

Djokovic’s recent injury concerns have clouded the US Open hopes for his followers. Despite that, people are hopeful given his old fitness trainer Gebhard Gritsch is back in his team. Following his indomitable spirit and hunger for success, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to keep faith in the Serb for the American Grand Slam.