Novak Djokovic’s wife makes feelings clear on sacked coaches joining rival
Novak Djokovic’s wife couldn’t resist a cheeky joke after seeing two of her husband’s former coaches join forces with tennis rival Jannik Sinner.
World number one Sinner, who has shaken up his support staff after being embroiled in a doping controversy, has hired fitness coach Marco Panichi and physio Ulises Badio. Both men previously worked with Djokovic, enjoying great success with the 24-time grand slam winner.
Sinner shared a picture of him with the pair on his Instagram feed as he welcomed them to his team. He wrote: “Welcome to the team Marco and Ulises.” In reply, Jelena Djokovic weighed in by jokingly declaring she would be sticking with her man. She posted: “I won’t give up.”
Sinner has made changes in the wake of the doping issue which overshadowed his appearance at the US Open, which he went on to win. The 25-year-old went into the tournament under a cloud after escaping a ban, despite two positive tests in March.
The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) accepted Sinner’s explanation that the banned substance clostebol, which can aid muscle growth, had accidentally entered his system via a product one of his team had used to treat a small wound. As a result, the Italian parted ways with fitness coach Umberto Ferrara and physio Giacomo Naldi.
“Because of these mistakes, I’m not feeling that confident to continue with them,” said Sinner. “The only thing I just need right now, just some clean air.
“I was struggling a lot in the last months. Now I was waiting for the result, and now I just need some clean air.”
Panichi, who only stopped working with Djokovic earlier this year, has prevailed detailed what it’s like working with the demanding Serb. He told Sportal: “We knew that it was nothing personal, we knew that sometimes he needed that [to release his anger] in order to play at his best.
“We knew how his mind worked – when to tell him something and when not to say anything. He’s the type of player that sometimes needs that.
“With a player of his size, there is always stress. You have to deal not only with him but also with the whole organisation – a player like him represents the industry for himself, that’s the source of stress.
“Also, an elite tennis player like him always asks you for more, more and more. It’s part of the game.”
In Panichi’s place, Djokovic reunited with Gebhart Fil-Grich as part of a wider shake-up of his own team which also saw coach Goran Ivanisevic move on. Meanwhile, Badio left Djokovic’s team at the end of 2022 after more than five years together.
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