Novak Djokovic has hit out at the ATP after Goran Ivanisevic controversially failed to win the coach of the year award. The 24-time Grand Slam champion has wondered what his coach needs to do to win the gong after a remarkable year.
Djokovic won three Grand Slams and reached the final of the other, being defeated by Carlos Alcaraz in the Wimbledon showdown. He won a host of other tour-level events and finished the year as the world No 1.
However, the ATP’s coach of the year prize has been handed to Darren Cahill and Simone Vagnozzi for their work with Jannik Sinner. The Italian world No 4 also enjoyed a successful year, winning four ATP tournaments.
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.
However, the victory of Cahill and Vagnozzi has confused Djokovic, who sarcastically responded on Instagram. He initially extended his congratulations to the pair before pointedly telling Ivanisevich that he needed to win all four Grand Slams.
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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.
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It comes after Djokovic also failed to win the ATP Fans’ Favourite award. Djokovic was once again beaten by Sinner, who became only the fifth player to win the prize – which is voted for by tennis fans – since it was introduced in 2000.
Remarkably, Roger Federer was the Fans’ Favourite recipient for 19 consecutive years before it was won by Rafael Nadal in 2022. With Federer retired and Nadal injured for most of 2023, Djokovic might have fancied his chances of finally claiming the gong.
But Djokovic was pipped to the award by Sinner, who has enjoyed a positive season. The youngster will hope to claim his first Grand Slam in 2024.
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