tennis
Coach Ivanisevic on Djokovic: “He tortured us”
Novak Djokovic (centre r) hugs his coach Goran Ivanisevic (centre l) after his victory. photo
© Thibault Camus/AP/dpa
Ex-Wimbledon winner Goran Ivanisevic is an important part of Novak Djokovic’s success. After the record in Paris, the coach talks about “sadomaso training”, perfectionism and Djokovic as “ninja”.
After Novak Djokovic’s historic tennis record, coach Goran Ivanisevic spoke in a remarkable press conference about the challenging work with the 23-time Grand Slam title winner. “He chained us with handcuffs for three days,” joked the 51-year-old Ivanisevic about the time during the French Open after Djokovic’s three-set final win against the Norwegian Casper Ruud.
“He’s not an easy boy, especially when things don’t go his way. But we’re there to be beaten. We’re here to make him feel better, perform better. Sometimes it’s not easy, sometimes it’s a lot complicated.”
In his victory speech, Djokovic also thanked his supervisors and family for “patience and tolerance” because he knew what they were going through with him. The 36-year-old was the first male tennis pro to win his 23rd title in a Grand Slam tournament.
Ivanisevic’s best statements about…
… Djokovic’s claim in training: “He tortured us, tore our nails out. Many other things I can’t tell you. But we are still here, still alive. My heart is still fine. Me am an old man, I must be careful with my heart.”
… Djokovic’s will to win: “He’s like (ex-professional Andy) Roddick once said: He takes your legs, then he takes your soul, then he digs your grave and then your funeral is and you’re dead. Bye-bye. Thanks for being there.”
… working with Djokovic after his 22nd Grand Slam title at the Australian Open: “We started the new sadomaso training. It’s a new type of training: from 2 a.m. to 6 a.m. ( (laughs) I mean, I don’t know what you can do with him. It’s always something. He’s the guy who always wants something. He wakes up and says: My backhand didn’t work yesterday, so we have to work on the backhand work. But the backhand was perfect for us. We fix his backhand. Every day is something. He’s a perfectionist. This brilliant head that’s always missing something. But I’m very proud of him. We said to him: If you do this If you want to win the tournament, you have to stop talking to us so much.”
…the mobility of Djokovic: “He’s incredible, he still moves like a cat on the court. Like a ninja, he’s everywhere.”