Novak Djokovic has split with his coach Radek Stepanek and also confirmed that he is no longer working with Andre Agassi. Djokovic, a 12-times grand slam winner, is battling back from a long injury lay-off and lost his opening match at the Miami Masters two weeks ago. Agassi said on Saturday that he was no longer working with the former world No 1, adding: “We far too often found ourselves agreeing to disagree.”
A statement issued on Wednesday on the Serb’s official website said: “After Miami, Novak Djokovic and his tennis coach Radek Stepanek decided to end their cooperation.”
The statement added of the Czech: “The private relationship with Stepanek was and will remain great, and Novak has enjoyed working with him and learning from him.”
By contrast, the comment regarding the other departure read simply: “The cooperation between Novak and Andre Agassi has also ended.”
Agassi, who won eight grand slam singles titles, had been working with the Serb since May 2017, while Stepanek, who retired last year and enjoyed more success as a doubles player, joined the team in December.
Djokovic, who has dropped to 13th in the world rankings, missed the final six months of 2017 because of an elbow injury. The 30-year-old eventually underwent surgery after a disappointing fourth-round exit at the Australian Open.
The statement added: “Novak remains focused and eager to come back stronger and more resilient from the long injury break that has affected his confidence and game. He is continuously and passionately looking for new and different ways to regain winning form.”
Djokovic is scheduled to compete at the Monte-Carlo Masters, which begins on 15 April.
