Novak Djokovic said he would carry on without a coach for now after parting ways with Andy Murray last week, as the Serbian prepares for his latest bid to win a record-extending 25th Grand Slam title at the French Open.
The high-profile partnership with three-time Grand Slam champion Murray lasted only six months but Djokovic said his respect for the Scot had only grown in that time.
“At the moment, I’m not in need of a coach. I don’t need to rush in any context. I feel comfortable with the people around me,” Djokovic told reporters on Tuesday, a day before facing Marton Fucsovics at the Geneva Open.
“In the next few tournaments, we’ll see what happens.”
Djokovic, 38, is winless on clay this year after exiting the Monte Carlo Masters and Madrid Open with straight-sets losses last month, and his form is a concern heading into Roland Garros, which kicks off on Sunday.
He had appointed fellow former world number one Murray ahead of this year’s Australian Open and said in February he would continue working with him for an indefinite period.
“We felt like we couldn’t get more out of that partnership on the court, and that’s all there is to it,” added Djokovic.
“My respect toward Andy remains the same, even more actually, I got to know him as a person.”
Djokovic to carry on without a coach after parting ways with Murray
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Djokovic to carry on without a coach after parting ways with Murray
- The high-profile partnership with three-time Grand Slam champion Andy Murray lasted only six months
- Djokovic is winless on clay this year after exiting the Monte Carlo Masters and Madrid Open with straight-sets losses
Real Madrid handed shock home loss as Celta Vigo spring surprise
- Celta jumped from 14th to 10th while the defeat ended Real’s 100 percent home league record this season after six successive wins
MADRID: Real Madrid suffered a shock 2-0 loss and finished with nine men against Celta Vigo in LaLiga on Sunday after Williot Swedberg scored an audacious goal with his heel and a second in stoppage time to leave the hosts four points off leaders Barcelona.
Swedish substitute Swedberg cleverly diverted a cross from Bryan Zaragoza past Thibaut Courtois in the 53rd minute to put Celta ahead and had an easy finish three minutes into added time, going around the goalkeeper to wrap up the points.
Real’s cause was not helped by the 64th minute dismissal of Fran Garcia, who picked up two yellow cards in 60 seconds, but they laid siege to the visitors’ goal for the last 20 minutes as Celta went into a defensive shell to hold onto their advantage.
Real defender Alvaro Carreras was also dismissed for two cautions, his second coming in stoppage time at the end of the game as the home side’s frustrations boiled over.
It was a second clean sheet in 15 league games this season for Celta, whose keeper Ionut Radu made a first-half save from Jude Bellingham’s header and stopped a second-half free-kick whipped in by Kylian Mbappe.
Real stay on 36 points from 16 games as Celta celebrated a first win at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu in 19 years, leaving the Galician club with 19 points.
“With the team they have and their quality, it’s difficult to match them, but we read the game well,” said Celta striker Borja Iglesias. “We had possession, we played in their half, we played a fantastic match.”
Celta jumped from 14th to 10th while the defeat ended Real’s 100 percent home league record this season after six successive wins.
Xabi Alonso’s stuttering Real team have now won only one of their last five league games as they await the midweek arrival of Manchester City in the Champions League.
Earlier on Sunday, Espanyol moved up to fifth as Roberto Fernandez’s first half penalty handed them a 1-0 home win over Rayo Vallecano as both sides finished with 10 men.
Elche’s Rafa Mir scored twice as they ran out 3-0 home winners over struggling Girona, while hosts Valencia and Sevilla remained in the bottom half of the table after a 1-1 draw.
