"Someone like John McEnroe" - Novak Djokovic should hire American as coach after Goran Ivanisevic split, believes Chris Evert's ex-husband John Lloyd

Chris Evert's ex-husband, John Lloyd, recently pushed for Novak Djokovic to hire John McEnroe as his new coach after his partnership with long-time coach Goran Ivanisevic came to an abrupt end earlier this week.

Djokovic has yet to win an ATP title in 2024 — a first for him in the last 18 years. On Wednesday (March 27), the Serb split with Ivanisevic, who guided him to nine Major titles and four year-end World No. 1 finishes. While the 36-year-old claimed in his Instagram post that their "on-court chemistry had its ups and downs," he did express his gratitude towards the Croat.

"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 World No. 1 wrote on Instagram. "Šefinjo, thanks for everything my friend. Love you."

Against that background, former player John Lloyd recently sat down with Tennis Channel to discuss some of the prospective coaches that Novak Djokovic can employ. He went ahead and threw eight-time Major winner John McEnroe's name in the hat, arguing that the American's unconventional approach to the game might help the Serb.

"I would almost go sort of left-field, I would go with someone like John McEnroe. I know he probably wouldn't do it. I think he's gotta go somewhere," John Lloyd said on the Tennis Channel Inside-In podcast (16:28). "He doesn't need someone who's going to be doing drills and stuff."

The Brit further stated that at this stage of his career, the 24-time Major winner needed someone who would motivate him leading up to big matches.

"It's the mind, it's almost like the re-energizing, the motivation, the days before, the nights before the big matches. The day of the big matches, motivating. I know he's self-motivated, don't get me wrong," Lloyd said (16:45). "I don't know, just someone that's out there who's going to give a kind of fresh, like, 'You know, I'm X years older and all that, but I don't think it's that, it's not.'"

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"It's just mentally saying things at the right time" - John Lloyd on what Novak Djokovic needs from his next coach

Novak Djokovic is in desperate need of some form

John Lloyd also gave his two cents on what Novak Djokovic's ideal coach should offer apart from just rolling out the ball for him to hit during their practice sessions.

"It's just mentally saying things at the right time. You know, amusing things. In-your-face type of things, I don't know, that's kind of where I am looking now," Lloyd said (17:15). "I'm sure I'm completely wrong but that's kind of what I suddenly thought, I thought someone like that would be an interesting fit."

Djokovic, on his part, has been shaking up his entire team over the last few years. Last November, the Serb parted ways with his agent Edoardo Artaldi, who had been a part of his team since 2008. Two years ago, he also split with long-time physio Ulises Badio.