Tennis legend Boris Becker has insisted that he is not in the running to become Novak Djokovic’s new coach. The Serbian star split from Goran Ivanisevic after his third-round exit in Indian Wells after five very successful years together.
Djokovic has remained without a coach since the announcement, with plenty of familiar faces being linked with the world No.1. The 24-time Major winner was recently spotted training with Nenad Zimonjic, though claims that he is in the running to succeed Ivanisevic have been shut down.
Becker has also been tipped to reunite with Djokovic, having worked with the Serb between 2013 and 2016. However, the 56-year-old has also insisted that he does not intend on becoming Djokovic’s coach again.
The pair remain good friends following their three-year stint together, but Becker feels that the pair are both on the lookout for different opportunities. He told The Telegraph: “I think he’s looking for something different right now. I’m not sure he knows exactly what that is.
“He’s always going to be a close friend of mine, we always speak about tennis. But I couldn’t possibly be his coach again, because I’ve done that. It would be stepping back.
“I was surprised by his Madrid decision. I think at this stage he needs matches. He needs the competition. But he has his own schedule. I think winning gold for Serbia [at the Olympics in Paris] is his main tournament so maybe he’s already scheduling himself to be still fresh for July. This could be a reason. You can never underestimate him or count him out.”
Becker stepped down from coaching Holger Rune earlier this year, just a matter of months after joining the Dane’s coaching staff. The six-time Major winner became Rune’s coach in October but revealed that he would be parting ways with the world No.7 in February.
Announcing the split, Becker wrote on X: “We started this partnership with the initial goal to reach the ATP Finals end of last year but moving forward I realised that in order for this to be successful, I would need to be available for Holger much more than I can.
“Due to professional and private responsibilities, I can’t give Holger what he needs now. I wish him only the very best and I’m always going to be his No.1 fan. I truly appreciated this journey together. BB.”
