Deportation, no more World No.1, split with coach; What next for Djokovic?

Former World No.1 men's tennis star Novak Djokovic has confirmed he has split from long-time coach Marian Vajda for a second time.

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Novak Djokovic is undoubtedly going through perhaps one of the most difficult times of his career. 2022 began with his deportation from Australia after his visa was cancelled twice over his Covid-19 vaccination status. 

The Serbian then suffered a shock in the quarter-final against Jiri Vesely at the Dubai Championships last week, which resulted in him losing his World No. 1 ranking to Daniil Medvedev.

And now, the 20-time-Grand Slam champion has confirmed his split with coach Marian Vajda for the second time. Djokovic, who stayed as the top-ranked player in the world for an unprecedented 361 weeks, began working with Vajda in 2006 when he was a teenager. The Slovakian coach has been virtually by the Serbian's side throughout his illustrious career.

The duo briefly split in 2017 when Djokovic was struggling to cope with injury and off-court issues. However, they reunited the following year. Since the Serb roped in Goran Ivanisevic into his team in 2019, Vajda took more of a back seat, and on Tuesday, the two revealed that the player and coach agreed to go their separate ways.

In a statement, Djokovic said, "Marian has been by my side during the most important and memorable moments in my career. Together we have achieved some incredible things, and I am very grateful for his friendship and dedication over the last 15 years."

"While he might be leaving the professional team, he will always be family, and I can't thank him enough for all he has done," the 34-year-old added.

Meanwhile, Vajda recalled his time with Djokovic and said, "During my time with Novak, I have been lucky to watch him transform into the player he is today," he said. "I will look back on our time together with immense pride and am so very thankful for the success we have achieved. I remain his biggest support on and off the court and look forward to new challenges."

Djokovic, who has played only one tournament this year, has been hitting the headlines off late more for his view on the coronavirus vaccine than for his tennis laurels. If Djokovic chooses to remain unvaccinated, the big ATP Tour events in Indian Wells and Miami are off the table, with the United States requiring all travellers to be fully vaccinated.

The much-anticipated Indian Wells Masters is set to kick start from March 9 (Women), followed by Men's event on the next day. "As of today, no. I can't go, can't enter the United States. As of today, I'm not able to play. But let's see what happens. I mean, maybe things change in the next few weeks," Djokovic told the media.

Djokovic also faces a ban from year's first Masters of the clay court in Monte Carlo, where he stays with his family. In an interview with the BBC last month, the Serbian said that he was not against vaccination but would not defend his French Open and Wimbledon titles if he was forced to take the jab against Covid-19.

"Yes, that is the price that I'm willing to pay because the principles of decision making on my body are more important than any title or anything else," Djokovic told BBC.