Roger Federer’s former coach Ivan Ljubicic has asserted that Novak Djokovic’s “problem” is “psychological” amid the great Serbian’s titleless 2024 season so far. 

The former world No 3 believes Djokovic is “missing something” if he does not have “fire inside”, but he backed the world No 1 to recover “as his real goals for the season approach.”

Expectations were sky-high for Djokovic coming into this year following a remarkable 2023 campaign where he won seven of the 12 tournaments he played, including three Grand Slams and the ATP Finals. The 36-year-old, who ended last season as the world No 1, has not yet showcased his best level in 2024.

Djokovic was beaten by eventual champion Jannik Sinner in the Australian Open semi-finals in January — his first defeat since 2018 at the event he has won 10 times.

The 24-time Grand Slam winner then fell to a shock defeat to lucky loser Luca Nardi in the third round in Indian Wells this month, before withdrawing from the Miami Open.

In an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport, Ljubicic assessed that Djokovic’s issues in 2024 have been mental, while highlighting the three events he feels the Serb will be most motivated for.

“His problem is psychological, he certainly hasn’t forgotten how to play tennis. Undoubtedly, ‘Nole’ must have fire inside, otherwise he is missing something,” the Croatian said.

“He is used to fighting on every point, to conquering the pitch inch by inch, and if he doesn’t feel those stimuli, he can get into difficulty. But I am convinced that as his real goals for the season approach – Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the Olympics – he will be able to recover.”

Former world No 12 Feliciano Lopez recently expressed that he was not concerned by Djokovic’s results and performances so far this season.

“It seems normal to me. We have also occasionally seen Novak lose a game that he was not involved in,” the 42-year-old told EFE.

“In the end people are also alarmed. Since he never loses, people eventually become alarmed. I wouldn’t give it more importance than he has.

“He lost in Australia with Sinner, which is predictable, things that have happened all his life, and then in Indian Wells… It’s his way of understanding the calendar now. That has worked well for him. I don’t think this will cause him any major problems. Let’s see what happens.”

Djokovic announced this week that his highly successful partnership with coach Goran Ivanisevic had come to an end. With the 2001 Wimbledon winner in his corner, Djokovic won 12 of his 24 majors.