Changes to one’s coaching personnel on the eve of a Grand Slam isn’t the kind of move often associated with success among the tennis elite. But that’s the risk Novak Djokovic has taken right before his highly anticipated return to the Australian Open in January.
The Serb has split ways with physiotherapist Ulises Badio after five-and-a-half fruitful years working alongside one another. And Badio’s replacement already appears to have been procured after Djokovic was seen working with Italian Claudio Zimaglia ahead of the 2023 Adelaide International 1.
Badio’s departure will come as a surprise to fans considering he and Djokovic had formed, as the physio put it earlier in 2022, an “important link” since he joined the team in May 2017. The decision has also been made a little more than two weeks out from Djokovic’s return to Melbourne, with expectations building ahead of his bid for a record-extending 10th Australian Open title.
Despite his absences from both the Australian and U.S. Open tournaments in 2022, ‘Nole’ added to his Grand Slam collection by beating Nick Kyrgios to retain his Wimbledon crown. New physio Zimaglia—who is listed as a ‘teacher at the osteopathy academy in Torino’—will hope to play his part in adding to the 35-year-old’s 21 major medals (one fewer than record-holder Rafael Nadal).
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It was in July, shortly after Djokovic’s seventh Wimbledon win, that Badio spoke of the round-the-clock nature of their relationship. The Argentinian described the heightened responsibility when working with someone like Djokovic, who holds a reputation as one of, if not the fittest player on the ATP Tour.
“We work with him 24 hours a day,” he told Spanish newspaper Diario Sur. “It is not enough to spend four hours with him, during his training, and see him before the game. I follow him at all times, even when he is sitting down to see how he is, or how much water he has drank, or if someone has been talking to him on the phone for a long time: every little detail can influence him during the match.
“When I joined the team I knew how to work and what my professional job was, but not what my role was within the team. However, Novak and I created a close bond and started to get to know each other, creating this important link.”
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