Djokovic is unhappy. What bothers him about the coach of the year?

The title of Coach of the Year for 2023 knows its owner. It is the coaching duo behind Jannik Sinner. Novak Djokovic would obviously choose otherwise. Is his criticism justified?

Who won and why?

Simone Vagnozzi and Darren Cahill have been voted coach of the year on the ATP circuit. The coaching duo behind Jannik Sinner. The young Italian tennis player has had a really successful year.

Sinner played his first Grand Slam semi-final and played well in his home Tournament of Champions. He literally wowed the Italian crowd there.

The South Tyrolean native was also a mainstay of his country’s successful Davis Cup team. So far, he and his coaching team are to be commended.

Let’s add that Sinner is probably the biggest promise for the upcoming tennis season according to some experts. He seems to be replacing Alcaraz in the role of Novak Djokovic’s biggest competitor. And it was the latter who made an interesting comment on the choice of coach of the year.

Criticism of Novak Djokovic

It has to be admitted that Djokovic’s criticism was not indiscriminate. Rather, it was an ironic dig with the typical handwriting of a world number one.

The Serb took issue with the fact that his coach Goran Ivanisevic was not the winner. After all, it was Djokovic himself who rewrote the milestones of tennis history under the guidance of the Croatian Wimbledon champion.

In his ironic remark towards Ivanisevic, the Serbian tennis player added that they will probably have to win all the grand slams next year. This could make his coach the favourite for the mentioned choice.

In conclusion

On the one hand, let’s acknowledge that Djokovic is achieving incredible performances under Ivanisevic’s guidance. This season is one of his most successful even in terms of his illustrious career.

On the other hand, the progress that Sinner has shown this year is not something that happens every year in the world of white sport. From this perspective, the choice of Sinner’s team certainly makes sense.

And what may sound like hyperbole, i.e. winning a calendar grand slam, could turn into a great motivation and story for the season to come. The choice for coach of the year 2024 could then be easier than this year.

Sources: ATP Tour, Twitter / X