"Your life drops, your motivation drops" - Novak Djokovic's ex-coach Ivanisevic suggests Davis Cup loss to Jannik Sinner was a huge blow for Serb

Novak Djokovic’s ex-coach Goran Ivanisevic recently revealed why the Serb was hit hard by his 2023 Davis Cup loss to Jannik Sinner and Serbia’s subsequent elimination.

Djokovic, alongside compatriots Laslo Djere, Dusan Lajovic, Miomir Kecmanovic and Hamad Medjedovic competed at the 2023 Davis Cup Finals, where the squad was chasing a second title after Serbia’s 2010 glory. Their dream, though, was crushed by Jannik Sinner-led Italy in the semifinal.

Interestingly, Novak Djokovic and Sinner took part in the event just days after they split victories in their two clashes at the ATP Finals. About the World No. 1’s appearance at the event after a hectic 2023 season, Goran Ivanisevic said:

"When he plays for his country - it's such pride, it's such giving. ... He gives not 100 percent, but 5,700 percent," he said in a recent interview with Sport Klub.

It's worth noting that team Serbia led Italy 1-0 in the three-match Davis Cup tie, thanks to Miomir Kecmanovic’s victory over Lorenzo Musetti.

However, the eventual champions drew level in the second fixture when Sinner bounced back from the brink of elimination. He beat Novak Djokovic after saving three consecutive match points – a career-first for the 24-time Grand Slam champion.

In the final doubles rubber, Jannik Sinner teamed up with Lorenzo Sonego to crush the pair of Djokovic and Kecmanovic to book their place in the final.

Just months after Serbia’s Davis Cup setback, their 2024 United Cup squad came up short in the mixed-team event as well. That quarterfinal exit saw Novak Djokovic lose to home-favorite Alex de Minaur in straight sets.

Goran Ivanisevic touched on how the losses impacted the Serb.

"Likewise in Australia at the United Cup. It's not a very important competition, but he would like to break the lines. These are the things that motivate him to the extreme," he said.

"And that's why the Davis Cup hit him so hard - your life drops, your motivation drops, you think - who's going to do it all over again?" Goran Ivanisevic added.

---

Novak Djokovic's ex-coach Goran Ivanisevic: "What happened in that semifinal with Jannik Sinner - it's a mystery"

The Serb lost to eventual champion Jannik Sinner in the Australian Open semifinal

Novak Djokovic and Goran Ivanisevic parted ways in March 2024, after a successful partnership spanning nearly five years. The 2001 Wimbledon champion was present with the Serb, alongside Hamad Medjedovic and others, during his pre-season preparations in Dubai before the 2024 United Cup.

Ivanisevic suggested that after ending the season with the Davis Cup loss, the 24-time Grand Slam champion wanted to be around people and train together – a first according to Ivanisevic.

"Preparations in Dubai were totally different for us from others. They were the most fun," he said in the aforementioned interview.

The Croat said that it was a successful training block.

"We trained phenomenally, but he needed people around him, that we were all together in the gym, to work, to have some action," Ivanisevic added. "He is always alone, always the same, and I understand him completely."

The pre-season preparations, though, haven’t translated to results in 2024 so far. After his Davis Cup semifinal defeat to Jannik Sinner, and his United Cup quarterfinal loss to Alex de Minaur, the World No. 1 suffered yet another semifinal loss to Sinner, this time in the semifinal of the Australian Open, where he was chasing a record-extending 11th title.

He has since had one other loss – to lucky loser Luca Nardi in the third round in Indian Wells.

"What happened in that semifinal with Sinner, it's a mystery, I don't know what happened," Goran Ivanisevic said.

Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner will next be in action at the 2024 Monte-Carlo Masters, where they are the top two seeds.