Novak Djokovic has wondered what Goran Ivanisevic must do to win coach of the year.
Novak Djokovic has slammed the ATP after Goran Ivanisevic was controversially denied the coach of the year award. After a spectacular year, the 24-time Grand Slam champion has asked what his coach needs to do to win the award.
Djokovic won three Grand Slams and reached the final of the fourth, losing to Carlos Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final. He won a slew of other tour-level events and concluded the year ranked first in the world.
The ATP Coach of the Year award, however, went to Darren Cahill and Simone Vagnozzi for their work with Jannik Sinner. The Italian world No. 4 had a fantastic year as well, winning four ATP titles.
Sinner also reached the Wimbledon final and helped Italy surpass Djokovic’s Serbia at the Davis Cup. The 22-year-old was key to Italy’s triumph in the competition.
The win of Cahill and Vagnozzi, on the other hand, has perplexed Djokovic, who responded sarcastically on Instagram. He originally congratulated the couple before telling Ivanisevich that he needed to win all four Grand Slams.
Djokovic wrote:: “Congratulations to Darren and Simone for a great season.”
The 36-year-old added: “Goran, I guess we need to win 4/4 Slams in order for you to maybe (just maybe) be considered coach of the year.
Winning year-end No 1, three Grand Slams and World Tour Finals and making history of the sport is not enough, my dear coach.”
Ivanisevic was among the nominees for the award. The Croatian former Wimbledon champion also missed out in 2022.
It follows Djokovic’s failure to win the ATP Fans’ Favourite accolade. Djokovic was defeated once more by Sinner, who became only the fifth player to win the prize, which is voted on by tennis fans, since its inception in 2000.
Surprisingly, Roger Federer received the Fans’ Favorite award for 19 consecutive years before it was won by Rafael Nadal in 2022. With Federer retired and Nadal out for most of 2023, Djokovic may have thought he might finally win the trophy.
However, Djokovic was beaten to the accolade by Sinner, who has had a successful season. In 2024, the teenager hopes to complete his first Grand Slam.
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