Novak Djokovic’s former coach recalled their first meeting (Image: Getty)

Novak Djokovic’s former coach has reflected on their partnership after reuniting at a tennis tournament.

After pulling out of the ATP Finals and shutting down his season, the world No. 5 turned up to the Belgrade Open and joined his old mentor Marian Vajda to take part in the trophy ceremony.

Vajda has now looked back on their wildly successful 15-year stint and shared the seven-word vow Djokovic made when they first started working together.

Djokovic and Vajda parted ways for the second and final time in 2022 but have remained close despite ending their professional relationship.

The Slovak was part of the 37-year-old’s camp for 20 of his Grand Slam wins, making theirs the most successful player-coach partnership in tennis history. He joined Djokovic’s team all the way back in 2006 – the year the Serb won his first two titles.

And Vajda still remembers their first meeting, where he was struck by the 24-time Grand Slam champion’s determination.

“Of course, when I met him, he was very young and had nothing but confidence,” the 59-year-old told Alo. “He told me, ‘Marian, I’m going to be tennis No. 1.’”

Novak Djokovic reunited with Marian Vajda for the Belgrade Open trophy ceremony (Image: Tennis TV)

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Reaching the top of the rankings wasn’t Djokovic’s only goal, he also wanted to lift the biggest trophies in the sport. Vajda continued: “When we started working, 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 how he was progressing, how he was training better, how he was developing, but for him the goal was to be tennis No. 1 and win all those tournaments, Grand Slam titles.”

Djokovic won his first Grand Slam title at the 2008 Australian Open but it took a while for him to reach the top of the rankings. He only reached world No. 1 for the first time in July 2011.

Since then, the Serb has rewritten history and cemented his place as the greatest of all time. He has 24 Grand Slam titles, an Open Era record, and the most time spent as world No. 1, holding the top spot for 428 weeks.

And Vajda remains proud of his former protege. “It’s been an incredible journey, but when I look back on it now and see all those numbers, it really is an incredible achievement,” he said.

“I could never have imagined that he would win so many titles and tournaments and be the best in the history of tennis.”