“Everyone was in tears”: Djokovic’s former coach shares emotional moment after Olympic win

Former Novak Djokovic’s coach Marian Vajda shares emotional conversation with Novak Djokovic after historic Olympic gold. Polish coach Marian Vajda, who worked with Djokovic from 2006 to 2022, witnessed the Serbian star secure 20 Grand Slam titles, 37 Masters 1000s, and 5 ATP Finals during their time together.

Vajda first coached Djokovic from 2006 to 2017, then returned from 2018 to 2022, overlapping with head coach Boris Becker from 2013 to 2016, when the 3-time Wimbledon champion joined Djokovic's team.

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Throughout those 16 years, the most elusive title for Djokovic was an Olympic gold medal. The Serbian finally achieved this in Paris 2024, defeating Carlos Alcaraz in the final to capture the last title missing from his extraordinary career.

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Though Vajda and Djokovic parted ways two years ago, they have remained close, recently reuniting at the Belgrade Open, where Djokovic participated in the trophy ceremony after Denis Shapovalov defeated rising local star Hamad Medjedovic in the final.

Vajda revealed after the tournament that, though he hadn’t seen Djokovic in some time, they shared an emotional conversation a few months earlier when the 37-year-old won the long-awaited Olympic gold. The Polish coach congratulated his former player after Paris 2024 in August.

“We talked after the Olympic Games. I was in tears, and he was in tears,” Vajda said. “Everyone was in tears because he won the Olympic gold, which crowned all his work and successes. It was truly extraordinary.”

Novak Djokovic after he won the Gold Medal at Paris 2024.

“Of course, when I met him, he was very young and had nothing but confidence. He told me, ‘Marian, I’m going to be World No. 1,’” Vajda recounted. “When we started working together, I thought it couldn’t get any better. He is the best player who could have deserved it, and it was just amazing.”

“As a coach, I saw his progress, how his training improved, how he developed, but for him, the goal was to be World No. 1 and win all those tournaments and Grand Slam titles.”

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“It’s been an incredible journey, but when I look back now and see all those numbers, it really is an incredible achievement. I could never have imagined that he would win so many titles and tournaments and become the best in tennis history,” Vajda concluded.