After a successful partnership with six-time Grand Slam winner Boris Becker over the course of three years, tennis superstar Novak Djokovic will now part ways with the German coach.
The decision was announced as having been "jointly decided", from the Serbian tennis star's Facebook wall. Novak Djokovic posted, "After three very successful years, Boris Becker and I have jointly decided to end our cooperation. The goals we set when we started working together have been completely fulfilled, and I want to thank him for the cooperation, teamwork, dedication and commitment.
Boris Becker posted on his Instagram account as well, reflecting a mutual and harmonious split between the two:
Thank U ! I had the time of my life ...#teamdjokovic
A photo posted by Boris Becker (@borisbeckerofficial) on Dec 6, 2016 at 12:47pm PST
The two were known for their successful partnership as Novak Djokovic went on to win six more Grand Slam titles under Boris Becker's watch. Djokovic was also the runner-up of three other Grand Slam tournaments, meaning the Serbian made it to the finals in nine of the twelve majors under Becker's tutelage. During their three years together, Djokovic dominated the men's field and only slackened his grip in the last few months.
Novak Djokovic finished 2014 and 2015 at the top of ATP rankings with Boris Becker as his head coach. However, the Serbian star started to experience a poor mid-season after he won the French Open last June. Djokovic just became the only third man to win all four major tournaments in a row, something that hadn't been done in the last 50 years. But he suffered a third round defeat in Wimbledon and lost his opening match in the Olympics against Juan Martin del Potro. This was followed by his defeat in the US Open by Stanislas Wawrinka.
There were already hints of Novak Djokovic's losing his steam when the tennis star withdrew from China Open and took some time to recover by visiting the places of his youth. He admitted back in September that he felt emotionally drained after winning the French Open and the heavy psychological toll he was carrying in the pressure to win Grand Slam titles and maintain the ranking as the world's no. 1. In the same interview, Djokovic says that winning the Grand Slam and being the world no. 1 are no longer his priorities.
In November, Andy Murray finally wrestled the No. 1 spot against him, ending Novak Djokovic's reign that started in 2014.
It's unclear on who will replace Boris Becker as head coach, but Novak Djokovic has already stated that his primary plans for next season is to maintain a good level of play and to set new goals for himself.
Watch highlights of Novak Djokovic against Andy Murray in Roland Garros this year:
