Andy Roddick makes telling Novak Djokovic claim as he addresses if Serb needs new coach

Andy Roddick has joked his cat could probably coach Novak Djokovic and “it would be fine” as he addressed whether the great Serbian needs to replace Goran Ivanisevic.
The 2003 US Open champion doubted whether anyone could tell Djokovic something he does not already know about tennis, but feels appointing a new coach is down to “how much he values that feedback cycle.”
Djokovic announced at the end of last month that he had split with Ivanisevic, bringing an end to a highly successful collaboration that started in 2019.
Speaking at a recent press conference in Belgrade, the 24-time Grand Slam champion suggested he may not hire another coach to fill the void left by the Croatian.
“I still don’t have a clear idea who a new coach would be, or whether there will be one at all,” the 36-year-old explained.
“I’ve had coaches since I was a kid, now I am trying to feel by myself what I need, what I feel most comfortable with. You will be informed in case someone joins the team.”
The world No 1 is set to return to action at the Monte Carlo Masters, which begins on Sunday, having skipped the Miami Open last month following his upset Indian Wells defeat. Djokovic has been working with fellow Serbian and former doubles world No 1 Nenad Zimonjic ahead of the tournament.
READ MORE: ‘Tactically, Novak Djokovic is so much better than the young players coming up’, says former No 1
Roddick has expressed his surprise that Djokovic has parted ways with the 2001 Wimbledon champion, while giving his thoughts on Djokovic’s claim he may not hire a new coach.
“Novak’s decision to split with coach Goran Ivanisevic was surprising. They’ve had an incredible run and you don’t split easily with someone with whom you’ve won 12 Slams,” the American told Betway.
“Breaking up in April is not a plan that would have been put forward at the beginning of the year, so it will be interesting to see what he does.
“He’s mentioned maybe going along without a coach, so I guess we’ll see. I don’t know what someone could tell him that he doesn’t already know. It’s just a question of how much he values that feedback cycle along the way.
“There’s certainly some uncertainty there, but if anyone can deal with those ebbs and flows then it’s Novak. My cat could probably coach him and it would be fine.”
The former world No 1 also discussed the news on Tennis Channel and suggested six-time Grand Slam champion Boris Becker could coach Djokovic again.
“There had to be something to set this in motion mid-season. Djokovic has kind of turned over his entire team – from his management, now Ivanisevic,” the 32-time ATP titlist said.
“I’ll be curious to see who he goes to next. It seems like he kind of always ends up back with [Marian] Vajda when something like this happens. That’s happened a couple of times.
“But the one thing is, Novak can only take opinions from a certain amount of people on earth. That’s why he went with [Boris] Becker, that’s why he goes with Goran. People who know those situations. I’ll be very curious to see what his next steps are.
“You’re on a shortish timeline going into Roland Garros, so my instinct is that he goes back into something that is known, that is familiar.
“I’d be surprised if six, eight weeks out from Roland Garros he just starts an entirely new relationship. This is pure speculation, I know nothing, but it wouldn’t shock me to see Becker in the mix of that conversation.”