Goran Ivanisevic left Novak Djokovic’s coaching team in March to return to the men’s game, but he’s still backing his former charge to add to his 20 Grand Slam titles

Novak Djokovic with Goran Ivanisevic (Image: (Image: Getty))

Despite parting ways with Novak Djokovic’s camp in March, the tennis star’s former coach Goran Ivanisevic is still cheering him on. Ivanisevic, who spent five years coaching the 24-time Grand Slam champion, has now taken up a new challenge – coaching Elena Rybakina.

As he prepares for his first coaching stint on the WTA Tour, Ivanisevic revealed the only circumstance that would make him root for one of Djokovic’s rivals.

It’s been an unconventional year for Djokovic. The Serbian player reached only three finals and clinched one title, but it was the one he truly coveted – his first Olympic gold medal.

Despite limiting his schedule and experiencing some unexpected early exits at major tournaments like the U..S Open and Indian Wells, Djokovic remains a formidable force in the tennis world.

Ivanisevic has joined forces with Rybinka (Image: (Image: Getty))

Back in March, he found himself without a full-time coach following a mutual split with Ivanisevic. Now, the Croatian player-turned-coach is moving forward, set to begin working with WTA No. 5 Rybakina during the off-season.

However, he confessed that he continues to support Djokovic from a distance and believes he will secure more Grand Slam victories

“I can’t know if he is motivated and how much, but the moment he decides to play, it means that he is eager to play,” Ivanisevic told Tennis Majors, discussing his former protege.

“Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz are convincingly above the rest of the field, but I put Novak in the group with them, because when Novak really wants to play, he is still the best in the world, in my opinion.”

Ivanisevic is all in on Djokovic’s potential to clinch more Grand Slam titles, emphasizing the tennis star’s drive: “The other thing is how much he wants to play and when – we saw at the Olympics… If he goes out on the court like that, then he can still win a Slam.”

Not only does Ivanisevic support Djokovic’s prowess, but he’s also relieved he doesn’t have to cheer against any of his rivals now that he’s coaching a WTA player. He quipped about remaining a fan unless Djokovic made an unlikely switch to the women’s circuit.

Ivanisevic elaborated on the factors that could influence Djokovic’s success, including rankings and draw challenges: “Also, it depends on his ranking and the draw, when does he need to face Sinner or Alcaraz, lots of factors, but can Novak do it? Yes, he can.

“You can never write him off, I would never do that. And good for me – I won’t have to root against Novak, I can stay his fan, unless he switches to women’s tennis!”