Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic has stopped working with advisor Pepe Imaz following pressure from mentor Marijan Vajda.
The former world No.1 has worked with the Spanish tennis coach since 2016. Their collaboration had been subjected to criticism due to Imaz’s controversial methods. The Spaniard uses meditation and ‘lengthy hugs’ as part of his teaching methods. Imaz teaches the philosophy of Amor Y Paz (Love and Peace) at his tennis school back in Marbella. He was brought into Djokovic’s team to help the Serbian with his emotional balance between his life and career.
During their time together Djokovic didn’t win a grand slam title. Although he missed six months of the tour last year due to an elbow injury. It has been speculated that Imaz paid a part in Djokovic’s separation from former coach Boris Becker.
The dismissal of Imaz was confirmed by Vajda during an extensive interview with sport.sk. Vajda reunited with Djokovic earlier this year after receiving a call from him shortly after the Miami Open. The two previously worked together between 2006-2017. Speaking about Imaz, the 53-year-old was not afraid to speak out against him.
“Yes, I wanted him to finish working with Imaz, but it was not my number one condition,” Vajda told Slovakia’s sport.sk
“First I wanted to talk to Novak in person.
“Second, I wanted to make a plan and rules for the following months. We were all together in Barcelona, we sat and talked. I told him that I did not like people from outside the team to influence him, as was the case before.
“Tennis can not be based on philosophy. It is a man vs man sport. If you want to be the best, you have to do repetitions in training, play games and be strong mentally.
“When you see the opponent, you must focus on where to hit the ball, not think about Buddha.”
Since resuming work with Vajda, Djokovic has experienced a surge in his results on the tour. He has reached the semifinals of better in three out of his last four tournaments. He won his first title of the year at Wimbledon, where he defeated both Rafael Nadal and Kevin Anderson on his way to securing the trophy. It was the first grand slam title Djokovic had won since the 2016 French Open.
The changes
Vajda, who was the former head of Slovakia’s Fed and Davis Cup teams, has attributed the resurgence of the 31-year-old partly to a change in his diet. Djokovic had previously been on a plant-based diet in an effort to stay fit for tennis. Something Vajda was eager to address.
“Novak’s muscle fibres are ideal for tennis but his muscles needed strengthening. His diet is mainly vegetarian and needed animal proteins. It is impossible without them.” He explained.
“This is how Novak adjusted his diet, incorporating more fish, because he does not eat another meat.
“Now his muscles are in perfect condition, he follows all the right habits and does what it takes to be a champion. I hope this continues in the US Open.”
Earlier this year Djokovic ended his partnership with Andre Agassi and Radek Stepanek. The two guided him during the early stages of his return to the tour. Helping him adjust his service motion to relieve pressure on his elbow. Earlier this month Agassi told The Guardian that Djokovic ‘wouldn’t listen to his advice’ as the two separated following a series of disagreement.
“I had a few conversations with Radek and I saw that he really wants to understand Novak. He and Andre really tried and they even might be in right place, but in a wrong time.” Vajda commented.
“He really wanted this cooperation to be successful, but this cooperation wasn’t a good fit for him or the coaches.”
Djokovic will return to action next month at the Rogers Cup in Toronto. The tournament will get underway on August 6th.
