"Fear this is Novak Djokovic's #HangItUp season" "Turns out losing Australian Open is sackable offence": Fans react to Goran Ivanisevic coaching split

Tennis fans on social media have been stumped by Novak Djokovic announcing his split with Goran Ivanisevic on Wednesday, March 27, after six years of association.

Djokovic announced his collaboration with Ivanisevic during Wimbledon 2019. The Serb had been working under his longtime coach Marian Vajda until then. He had notably gone through a slump in 2017 due to an elbow injury. Ivanisevic is often credited for restoring the Serb's on-court dominance by making consequential changes to his serve.

However, the Serb has decided to call off the partnership after a rather troubled start to the 2024 season, according to his lofty standards. He suffered a semifinal defeat at the Australian Open against Jannik Sinner in January. To make things worse, he lost to a lucky loser in the form of Luca Nardi in the Indian Wells Masters third round a few weeks ago.

The World No. 1 announced the dissociation on social media on Wednesday, writing:

"Goran and I decided to stop working together a few days ago. Our on court chemistry had its ups and downs, but our friendship was always rock solid."

The announcement drew varied reactions from tennis fans on X (formerly Twitter). One of the fans has inferred that the 24-time Grand Slam champion is on the verge of calling it a day.

"I fear this is his #HangItUp szn [season]," the fan wrote.

Another expressed a similar concern, writing:

"No no no no this cannot be the start of the end brooo im not ready."

A third fan has claimed that it is the Australian Open failure that has led to the split.

"Wow! Novak Djokovic announces he's parting ways with his coach Goran Ivanisevic. Turns out that losing the Australian Open just a singular time is a sackable offence. 12x grand slams in 5 years is unbelievable, and it's largely due to the changes that he helped to implement," the fan stated.

Here are a few more reactions from X:

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Novak Djokovic jokes about having a 'side battle in Parchisi' with coach Goran Ivanisevic

Novak Djokovic (L) and Goran Ivanisevic

In his announcement post on Instagram, Novak Djokovic reflected on his achievements under Goran Ivanisevic.

"I remember clearly the moment I invited Goran to be part of my team. It was back in 2018, and Marian and I were looking to innovate and bring some serve magic to our duo. In fact, not only we brought serve, but also lots of laughter, fun, year end no1 rankings, record breaking achievements and 12 more Grand Slams (and a few finals) to the count since then," Djokovic wrote.

He hilariously revealed that Ivanisevic and him were part of a Parchisi rivalry.

"In fact, I am proud to say (not sure he is) that apart from winning tournaments together, we also had a side battle in Parchisi going on… for many years. And - that tournament never stops for us. Šefinjo, thanks for everything my friend. Love you," the Serb concluded.