Novak Djokovic has appointed long-time friend and former doubles partner Dusan Vemic as his coach for both this week’s Geneva Open and the upcoming French Open.
“Dusan Vemic, the captain of the Serbian BJK Cup team, he was in my team a few years ago (and is my coach),” Djokovic told reporters in Geneva on Tuesday. “He’s here, and will be at Roland (Garros).”
“Boris Bosnjakovic, who has been an analyst in the team and assistant coach, shares the upcoming tournaments with Dusan. And then we’ll see. I’m not in a hurry to choose, or to know if I’ll have someone else by my side or not. I don’t know. I feel good with them.”
Djokovic’s announcement comes on the heels of the Serbian splitting with Wimbledon champion Andy Murray on May 13, less than six months after hiring the three-time Grand Slam winner as his coach.
Djokovic, the men’s record-holder with 24 Grand Slam singles titles, brought on his longtime rival as a coach in late November. Murray had retired from his playing career following the 2024 Summer Olympics.
The partnership did not produce a title for the Serbian this season. He lost in his only finals appearance of the year — in Miami, to Czech opponent Jakub Mensik — and he was knocked out in his opening matches at Monte Carlo and Madrid.
“He sees the game in an incredible way,” Djokovic said of Murray. “But, how could I say it, we did not achieve together what we hoped to achieve in terms of results. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. We tried.”
Djokovic, who celebrates his 38th birthday on Thursday, and Vemic have experience in both the Davis Cup and ATP Tour.
Vemic, 48, has worked with the Bryan brothers, Andrea Petkovic and Brandon Nakashima, among others.
Djokovic will square off against veteran Marton Fucsovics of Hungary in his Geneva opener on Wednesday. He is looking for his 100th career ATP singles title.
–Field Level Media
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