BELGRADE, Serbia (AFP) — Novak Djokovic will head into the French Open with a revamped coaching setup, with Viktor Troicki stepping in as head coach, the 24-time Grand Slam champion confirmed on Wednesday.
Reports had speculated that Troicki was his new coach as he was seen alongside Djokovic during a Tuesday practice session at Roland Garros, where the Serbian trained with Alexander Zverev.
The move comes after Troicki helped guide the former world No. 1 to Olympic gold in 2024.
“Welcome my friend, teammate and now coach... Viktor Troicki,” Djokovic wrote on Instagram.
A former world No. 12 and Serbia’s Davis Cup captain, Troicki was part of Djokovic’s coaching team at the 2024 Olympics, where the Serbian won a historic gold medal in Paris.
Djokovic and Troicki are longtime friends dating back to childhood.
Djokovic, who turns 39 on Friday, is set for his 22nd appearance at the French Open, which he has won three times.
However, he has played just three tournaments this year and lost his only match on clay at the Italian Open in Rome.
Meanwhile, Djokovic’s greatest rival, Rafael Nadal, said he sought to be “transparent” and “honest” in his forthcoming Netflix documentary series, speaking to AFP at a preview event ahead of its release.
The series from the streaming giant will be available from 29 May, during the French Open — the Grand Slam tournament where the Spaniard forged his legend with a record 14 titles.
“I believe it’s a genuine documentary that doesn’t paint everything in rosy colors and combines my sporting career with the difficulties I have faced,” Nadal told AFP shortly before the screening of the first of four episodes in Madrid.
“I think I’ve been quite transparent about my life and everything that has happened to me. I’ve been honest, and it’s my story,” added the undisputed king of clay, who won 22 Grand Slam titles over a career spanning more than 20 years before retiring at the end of 2024.
The documentary was filmed during that final season, “while I was still playing, trying to come back from injury and hip surgery,” he said.
“And I didn’t succeed. I tried to stay competitive, but I couldn’t get back to 100 percent. That whole process was filmed: the doubts, the uncertainty, and then acceptance of the situation.”
Asked whether it was important for him to tell that difficult final chapter, Nadal replied: “Not necessarily, but I have people around me that I trust who convinced me to do it — people who have been successful in this industry and perhaps had a broader view of my career.”
