"You don't make moves in March or April" - Andy Roddick believes "surprise" situation led to Novak Djokovic's split with coach Goran Ivanisevic

Andy Roddick recently admitted that Novak Djokovic parting ways with his long-time coach Goran Ivanisevic took him by surprise.

On Wednesday, March 27, Novak Djokovic announced that he had ended his long-term partnership with Goran Ivanisevic. As per his social media post from 2019, the World No. 1 and Ivanisevic joined forces just before his Wimbledon triumph that year. At the time he was also coached by Marian Vajda, who was part of his team from 2006-2017, and again from 2018-2022.

Both Ivanisevic and Vajda played an integral role in Novak Djokovic’s success in recent years. The Serb added a staggering 12 Grand Slam titles to double his tally to 24 Majors since 2018.

Speaking about Djokovic's mid-season split with Goran Ivanisevic, Andy Roddick said:

"I was surprised. You don’t look to make moves in March or April," he said on Tennis Channel.

The American entertained the possibility that something perhaps unforeseen led to the pair parting ways.

"This has had to be a surprise to both of them. There had to be something to set this in motion mid-season," he said.

Andy Roddick also noted that the 36-year-old has been making some major changes to his team of late. Notably, he confirmed his split with his long-time agent Edoardo Artaldi in November 2023.

"Djokovic has kind of turned over his entire team - his management, now Ivanisevic. I’ll be curious to see who he goes to next," he added.

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Novak Djokovic has not won a single title in 2024

The Serb pictured at the BNP Paribas Open 2024 in Indian Wells

Amid the major shake-up to his team, it is worth noting that Novak Djokovic hasn’t had an ideal start to his 2024 season. The Serb is playing a limited schedule. He has contested just three tournaments so far, having come up short in each.

The 24-time Grand Slam champion kicked off his campaign by representing Serbia at the 2024 United Cup. Here, he registered two wins alongside a quarterfinal defeat to Alex de Minaur.

The 10-time Australian Open champion then failed in his title defense in Melbourne, losing to eventual champion Jannik Sinner in the semifinal – a first in his career.

The Serb's most recent appearance was at the Masters 1000 event in Indian Wells, where he suffered a shocking upset to lucky loser Luca Nardi in the third round. He has accumulated a mere eight win against three losses for the season.

In his press conference following the Indian Wells defeat, the Serb admitted that such a title drought was uncharted territory for him.

"No titles this year. That's not something I'm used to. I was starting the season most of my career with a Grand Slam win or, you know, Dubai win, or any or tournament," he said.

The veteran, who has yet to announce any new coaching additions, will now look to turn the corner during the claycourt season, beginning with the Monte-Carlo Masters [April 6-14].