Novak Djokovic shared his disappointment over the decision to honor Jannik Sinner’s coaches with the ‘Coach of the Year’ Award ahead of his coach Goran Ivanisevic. He shared a story on Instagram where he sarcastically congratulated Sinner’s coaches Daren Cahill and Simone Vagnozzi.
The ATP honors the ‘Coach of the Year’ award to the coach who has helped guide his players to a higher level of performance during the year and the fellow ATP coaches nominate it.
2023 turned out to be one of the best seasons not just for Djokovic but for many other players as well. Novak Djokovic’s coach Goran Ivanisevic who has been with him since 2019 has guided him to 9 of his 24 Grand Slams three of which came in 2023.
Under his guidance Djokovic won three Grand Slams and reached the final of the fourth, two Masters titles, the Nitto ATP Finals, and the year-end No.1 title this year.
Whereas, Sinner’s achievements are impressive but nowhere close to that of Djokovic’s. He captured his maiden Masters Title, reached the final of the Nitto ATP Finals, led Italy to Davis Cup victory, and ended the season as the No. 4 player. Sinner won a total of four singles titles in 2023 under the guidance of Cahill and Simone.
There were five nominations for the award namely Craig Boynton, Juan Carlos Ferrero, Goran Ivansevic, Bryan Shelton, Darren Cahill, and Simone Vagnozzi who are coaches of Hubert Hurkacz, Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, Ben Shelton, and Jannik Sinner respectively.
It was Sinner’s coaches who were finally awarded leaving the Serbian disappointed. In the Instagram story, he tagged his coach and sarcastically mentioned “winning all four Grand Slams” as the criteria to be able to win the trophy.
This is brilliant hahaha
— 𝚗𝚒𝚌𝚔. A͟O͟¹⁰ (@NoleLondon) December 14, 2023
Nole on IG: pic.twitter.com/gEStYWldkr
“Forever grateful to my wife” – Novak Djokovic shares a heartfelt note after a successful season
Novak Djokovic penned a heartfelt message for his wife Jelena and his support staff for their immense support throughout the season.
Novak Djokovic had a season that other players can only dream of at this age. He not only won titles but created history along the way.
He won three Grand Slams making a tally of 24, making him the player with the most Grand Slams. His wins at two Masters titles in Cincinnati and Paris improved his number of Masters titles to 40. He won his 7th ATP Finals and won the year-end No.1 title for the eighth time. Not only that, he held the No.1 position in the ATP rankings for a record 400 weeks.
He shared a post on Instagram and extended his gratitude to his wife Jelena for taking of his kids, and his team of support staff for their dedication and support without the help this wouldn’t have been possible.
Reflecting on his 2023 season Djokovic expressed his gratitude towards his wife, family, and team:
“What an amazing season this has been. Forever grateful to my wife for being the best mother I could ask for to kids,while I was making history of the sport. Her support and love that I have been feeling from my family made this historic season possible.”
