Novak Djokovic told to hire John McEnroe as coach in ‘left-field’ suggestion by former pro

John Lloyd has argued tennis icon John McEnroe would be a good choice for Novak Djokovic to appoint as his next coach to replace Goran Ivanisevic. 

Earlier this week, Djokovic announced the surprising news that he had parted ways with coach Ivanisevic following a highly successful collaboration that started in 2019.

The split comes amid a titleless start to the 2024 season for Djokovic, with the 24-time Grand Slam champion yet to rediscover his best level after his brilliant 2023 campaign.

The world No 1 was beaten by Jannik Sinner in the semi-finals of the 2024 Australian Open in January — a result that ended his 33-match winning steak at the Grand Slam.

The 36-year-old then suffered a shock loss to lucky loser Luca Nardi in the third round of the Indian Wells Open this month, before he withdrew from the Miami Open.

Speaking on the Tennis Channel Inside-In podcast, Lloyd, a tennis commentator, weighed in with his thoughts on how Djokovic should look to fill the void left by Ivanisevic’s departure.

“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. He doesn’t need someone who’s going to be doing drills and stuff,” the former British No 1 said.

“It’s the mind, it’s almost like the re-energising, 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.

“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.’

“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.

“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 revealed the news in a post on his Instagram account: “I remember clearly the moment I invited Goran to be part of my team. It was back in 2018, and Marian [Vajda] 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 No 1 rankings, record-breaking achievements and 12 more Grand Slams (and a few finals) to the count since then. Did I mention a bit of drama too?

“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.

“In fact, I am proud to say (not sure he is) that apart from winning tournaments together, we also had a side battle in (the board game) Parchisi going on… for many years. And – that tournament never stops for us. Thanks for everything my friend. Love you.”