There has been plenty of intrigue on and off the court as the tennis world continues on the road to Roland Garros with this week's stop in Madrid.  One man who managed to make headlines before he even started his campaign in the Spanish capital was Novak Djokovic.  The Serb set tongues wagging when he announced that he had split with the core members of his team, including long-time coach Marian Vajda.  Calling it “shock therapy,” Djokovic is hoping the change will provide him with the spark he needs to get his career moving back in the right direction.

Given how long Djokovic had been with his team, the decision to separate was slightly surprising but hardly out of left field.  Players often look to change it up when the results are not where they want them, and that has predominantly been the case for Djokovic since he won Roland Garros last year.  They may also look for a fresh voice to suit various stages of their career, an option Roger Federer has utilized with great success.  With as long as Djokovic had been with his team – over ten years in the case of Vajda – the notion that they had gone as far as they could go together is more than plausible.

The length of their partnership may have been detrimental to Djokovic's game from a mental perspective as well.  It can be difficult to end any coach and player relationship, but particularly one which has lasted for so many years, where true friendships have been cultivated, and where they have experienced so many highs together can be even more so.  Furthermore, the split was something they were all mutually considering since the end of 2016 following a string of sub-par performances from the former world no. 1.

 So even though they were all on the same page in recognizing that the end of their time together could be near, it is not difficult to imagine that all, especially Djokovic, were desperate for him to suddenly find the dominant form that helped him secure four successive majors and ultimately find a reason to keep the partnership together.  Now that the ax has finally fallen, any strain Djokovic might have been feeling in that direction has been removed, as he knows he will assuredly be moving on to something new.

But as much as Djokovic may be looking forward to moving in a new direction, he has wisely insisted that he is not going to force himself to have someone new in his camp by Roland Garros.  He is content to fly solo for the time being, which could be the best thing for him at this juncture in time.  When he was at his best, Djokovic was a master problem-solver on the court.  He backed his own game and knew how to use it to probe for his opponent's weaknesses.  In recent months, however, he has looked uncertain on the court.

When things would go wrong, it was too easy to take his frustrations out on the members in his box, as though it was their fault a specific shot was not working or a game plan was going awry.  Now, there is no question that it is all on him.  He has to do the scouting, gauge how best to use his strengths and adjust his game plan according to what is unfolding on the court.  This should force him to stay more focused as well as calmer on court, which over time could mean avoiding the prolonged dips in play that have plagued him the last several months.

It is too soon to determine if Djokovic's “shock therapy” was the right move, but time will likely show that it was.  As hard as the split may have been for all involved, there is no question that they had hit a wall.  A change was needed.  Djokovic needs to get back to the basics, and forcing himself to do it on his own may be just the spark he needs.  If he can do that and get things going back in an upward trajectory, then there is no telling to what new heights the right, fresh coach can take him.