John McEnroe has insisted that Novak Djokovic does not need to employ a full-time coach despite the Serb adding Boris Bosnjakovic to his support team for the French Open. Djokovic has been without a permanent coach since parting ways with Goran Ivanisevic earlier this year and is yet to appoint a successor.
The Serb added long-time associate Bosnjakovic to his coaching setup ahead of the French Open after working with Nenad Zimonjic at recent tournaments. McEnroe, however, believes that Djokovic could go without appointing a full-time coach at this late stage in his career.
Speaking to Eurosport, McEnroe said: “As far as him needing a coach, I think that’s laughable. As far as him needing someone to tell him what he’s doing on the court, I don’t buy that.
“If he wants someone around, that’s perfectly fine. It’s worked amazingly well as no one in their wildest dreams thought he’d win 24 [Grand Slam titles]. I remember seeing him playing against Gael Monfils when they were both young and he won that match in five.
“I thought to myself ‘that kid Djokovic has got some guts’, but if you told me then he would win 24 Grand Slams, I’d have said you were mad. Now he is trying to win more and these first two rounds were a really good draw for him. Two guys that didn’t have a prayer to beat him.
“Let’s see how it goes when it gets tougher. Djokovic looks good. There were a few times when he was breathing hard and a few times it looked like he was going to fall over, but for the large there was no issue.”
Djokovic’s decision not to appoint a full-time coach suggests that he may not feel the need to make high-profile additions to his team given his wealth of experience in winning major tournaments. However, he made it clear that he wanted an extra pair of eyes when reflecting on the introduction of Bosnjakovic to his camp ahead of the French Open.
“I have known him for a long time, like I have known Nenad Zimonjic as well, who was with me for the last couple of tournaments,” said Djokovic. “I’m comfortable with these guys for the moment. I don’t want to rush my decisions. I have quite a bit of experience and know what needs to be done.
“But I also need someone who has played tennis and knows tennis. I need eyes on the side of the court because I can’t see everything I’m doing. Of course, I have many years on the court, but you can’t see if you are doing something wrong or not. Let’s see what happens after this tournament.”