Tennis News: Novak Djokovic adds an event, Alexander Zverev slams Ivan Lendl

Novak Djokovic said previously in 2024 that in the future, he might focus almost solely on playing in Grand Slam events and representing Serbia in the Davis Cup. He even said that he did not want to play in the ATP Finals because he wanted to take more time off. He has earned that. The Serb is the most successful player in the history of tennis.

But he might not be totally bought into not playing much. He will definitely play at the Australian Open in January, a tournament he has won 10 times before, and, for the first time, he will be coached by Andy Murray. If you thought about not watching the first major of the year for some odd reason, the partnership between Djokovic and Murray is a reason to tune in.

Murray will not be at the Brisbane International at the beginning of January, but Djokovic will be. He didn't play in the tournament last year, so it is a bit of a surprise he will play in 2025. Another tournament seems to have popped up on the Serb's schedule as well, though. He will participate in the Doha Open in February.

Novak Djokovic is adding tournaments and Alexander Zverev did not like working with Ivan Lendl

Djokovic did not play at all in February 2024, so his entering events that he didn't in the previous season after saying he would play less is odd. Still, more Novak Djokovic in tennis is better than no Djoko.

One player who might be wishing he never partnered with a former player-turned-coach is Alexander Zverev. The German was coached by former ATP No. 1 Ivan Lendl between August 2018 until July 2019. Zverev has been critical of Lendl's coaching approach before, but in a recent interview with Tennis Magazin (Germany), the German did not hold back on his criticism.

He said, "He got a new dog and was showing him how to go to the toilet. That was really his main topic. And golf."

This was an extension of what Zverev had said previously in his opinion about Lendl. The German basically said hiring the eight-time Grand Slam champion was a waste of time. Instead of coaching, Lendl chose to discuss other things. No wonder the partnership did not last long and Zverev had some very disappointing results.

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