ATP: Novak Djokovic again with Gebhard Gritsch – Only Boris Becker is missing

Back to the roots: Novak Djokovic relies on the tried and tested in its crisis management. As the daily Die Presse reported on Friday, the former world number one again works together with the Austrian fitness trainer Gebhard Gritsch.

Djokovic and the Tyrolean Gritsch, it is a connection that was already fruitful between 2009 and May 2017. In the past few days, the 61-year-old had already trained with the Serbian again at the Novak Tennis Center in Belgrade. “Novak knows how we work,” Gritsch told the Austrian newspaper Die Presse.

It is obvious that the twelve-time major champion is gathering more and more old companions in the battle to catch up with the world’s best. Only his ex-coach Boris Becker is missing…! The two had parted ways in December 2016, after Djokovic wanted to turn his entire “Team Nole” upside down and a few months later set out on new companions like André Agassi and Radek Stepanek.

The success failed to materialize – not least because the 30-year-old was suffering from a protracted elbow injury. Under Agassi, the “Djoker” only won one title: Summer 2017 at the Lawn Event in Eastbourne.

It had already become clear in recent weeks that the current number twelve in the ranking on its way back to the future is once again counting on guarantees of success from the past. At the Masters in Monte Carlo, where he failed Dominic Thiem (Austria) in the round of 16, his old coach Marian Vajda was in the pits.

The Slovakian had looked after Djokovic from 2006 to 2017 and participated in virtually all the great successes. Vajda had already helped his former protégé during the training in Marbella in preparation for the high-carat player in Monaco. “This is like a new beginning for both of us,” Djokovic said back then.

Next week the Serb will start at the Masters in Madrid, after which he will play in Rome, where he lost the final against Alexander Zverev (Hamburg) in 2017. The French Open (27 May to 10 June) is the major goal of the crisis-ridden Djokovic.

In Stade Roland Garros, the two-time father and six-time Melbourne champion had so far triumphed once (2016) – and thus completed his career grand slam almost two years ago.