Previously, Vajda had provided the Serb with some stability with their long association dating back to 2006 when Vajda was hired as Djokovic’s head coach, a position he held until 2013 with the arrival of Boris Becker. In his original tenure as head coach, Vajda oversaw Djokovic’s rise from a hugely talented newcomer to No. 1 and multiple grand slam winner in 2011.
“During my time at Novak, I was lucky enough to see him turn into the player he is today,” Vajda said in the statement. “I will look back on our time together with immense pride and be so grateful for the success we have achieved.”
Vajda remained part of Djokovic’s coaching team under Becker until 2017, and after a brief hiatus he rejoined Djokovic’s return to form in 2018 with grand slam wins at Wimbledon and the US Open.
“Marian was by my side during the most important and memorable moments of my career,” said Djokovic.
“Together we have achieved incredible things and I am very grateful for his friendship and dedication over the past 15 years. Although he may leave the professional team, he will always be family and I cannot thank him enough for everything he has done .” done.”
During their time together, Djokovic and Vajda collected 85 ATP singles titles, including all 20 of Djokovic’s Grand Slam titles.
However, in recent years, Vajda has gone back a bit. Since 2019, he shared the coaching duties with Goran Ivanisevic and traveled to fewer tournaments.
Ivanisevic will continue to work with Djokovic in hopes of returning him to the world’s No. 1, a potentially difficult task given Djokovic’s continued refusal to comply with the vaccination requirements that now guard many of the world’s biggest tournaments.
Vajda, while no longer an official member of Djokovic’s team, will “continue to be his biggest support on and off the pitch.”
