Meet Novak Djokovic’s chief-of-staff who has helped to mastermind his success

Tennis News
Edoardo Artaldi is Novak Djokovic's business manager

The name of Edoardo Artaldi may not be familiar to tennis fans around the world, but he has played a central role in the most triumphant career in the history of the sport.

Novak Djokovic’s inner circle has always been small and tight, with Artaldi a key part of the family that helps to make up a success story that shows no sign of stopping.

Djokovic’s focus has always been on the court and his 24 Grand Slam titles confirm he is a player who will almost certainly go down in history as the greatest of all time.

Novak always pays tribute to his team after a big victory and while coach Goran Ivanisevic and his medical support staff are vital to his set-up, Artaldi is one part of a duo he has described as “my favourite couple in the world”.

The first member of that dream team is his wife Jelena and the second is his trusted friend Eduardo.

Known in the Djokovic team as Dodi, Artaldi and his partner Elena Cappellaro are Djokovic’s Italian managers who have overseen the huge operation that runs around the world No 1.

Djokovic’s partnership with Artaldi started when he had just one Grand Slam title under this best after he won the Australian Open in 2008.

He signed a contract with the Italian clothing brand Sergio Tacchini, where Artaldi was working at the time.

When Djokovic switched his clothing brand, Artaldi became part of the Serbian’s full-time team and they have been in unison throughout the most successful career in the history of men’s tennis.

“We try to be as professional as possible, but now our relationship is rather personal,” Artaldi said in an interview with SBS Italian.

“We live together 24/7 and these nine years together have been really intense. Sometimes we even pull each others’ ears.

“We basically live together. Elena and I try to create the atmosphere he needs, given how much time he spends around the world and away from his family.”

A business manager is a hugely significant figure in the life of a tennis player.

Many have suggested the management of Emma Raducanu after her US Open win in 2021 focused on commercial activities instead of allowing her to focus on her tennis career.

As a result, the public perception has been that the young Brit has been distracted by lucrative sponsorship deals and away from what she needs to do on the tennis court.

That accusation can never be thrown at Djokovic, who is seen as the consummate professional on and off the court, with his laser-like focus trained on winning Grand Slam titles.

His management team have arranged sponsorship deals with ASICS, Lacoste, HEAD and the recent partnership with Waterdrop, but tennis is always at the heart of the Djokovic story and that narrative will not change.

Artaldi has been there throughout the highs and lows of the journey, with his greatest moment easy to identify.

“The most unforgettable one is the reception we got when we flew back to Serbia after he won Wimbledon in 2011 and reached the number one spot,” he added.

“If I can choose one from his tennis profession and one from his private life, I would say, his determination on one side and on the other his generosity is his best quality.”

Artaldi’s relationship with Djokovic has had its challenging moments, as he bizarrely screamed at his manager and brother Marko to leave his box during the final of the Adelaide Open at the start of 2023.

Yet when you have been part of a family for this long, a minor public fall-out will not shatter a friendship.

Artaldi have been through so much together over the course of a remarkable tennis journey and they will both be hoping there is so much more to come.

READ MORE: Who are Novak Djokovic’s sponsors?

Novak Djokovic

Latest