Player Box: Team Djokovic

Professional tennis players spend at least eight months out of the year on the road, which can get pretty lonely. Due to the long tennis season and the competitiveness of the sport, it’s necessary for a player to keep a well-oiled super team.

Like pop stars and A-list actors, high-profile players travel with entourages. A tennis entourage usually includes coach (or coaches in some instances), physiotherapist, trainer, chef (for a few superstars), nutritionist, hitting partner, the other half, children, and pets. Each of these behind-the-scene unsung heroes (few of them such as super coaches are sung) provide their respective bosses with a specific, crucial task to ensure the players are well-equipped to execute their game plans.

Each day this week we will feature one top player’s team, starting with Novak Djokovic’s team.

TEAM DJOKOVIC

Since hiring super coach Boris Becker three seasons ago, 12-time Grand Slam titlist Djokovic has dominated the men’s game. Under Becker’s tutelage, the 29-year-old Serb added six Grand Slams to his already-impressive trophy case.

In 2016, he won the elusive French Open trophy, capping his Career Grand Slam. In December, Djokovic and Becker parted ways.

The Coach

A former tennis player, Marian Vajda has coached Djokovic since 2010. The unheralded Vajda took a back seat when Djokovic hired Becker in December of 2013, but he’s back in the driver seat now that Becker is no longer in the camp. The Slovakian is a main staple in Djokovic’s player box.

The Fitness Trainer

Gebhard Phil-Gritsch is the man behind Djokovic’s tit-top condition. Before hiring Phil-Gritsch in 2009, Djokovic had frequent injury issues that forced him to retire from matches, but since then he has improved his physical condition and flexibility. Phil-Gritsch, who’s from Austria, used to coach former No. 1 player Thomas Muster.

The Physiotherapist

Miljan Amanovic and Djokovic have enjoyed a long-term professional and

The Agent

The Guru

The Wife

The Kid

The Dogs