Novak Djokovic's ex-coach already has new player as Serb continues to find form in Madrid

Novak Djokovic's former coach Marian Vajda already has a new charge just months after ending his long-term partnership with the Serb. Vajda worked with the world No 1 for 15 years and was with him for all but one of Djokovic's 86 title victories but has now appeared to invest in world No 47 Alex Molcan.

Djokovic and Vajda announced their split earlier this year, reportedly making the decision at the end of the 2021 season but waiting until March to confirm the news. The Serb had worked with Vajda since 2006, barring one brief split from 2017 to 2018, and won all 20 of his Grand Slam titles with the Slovak in his corner.

The 34-year-old is now working solely with Goran Ivanisevic, the former Wimbledon champion who joined his team in 2019 and worked alongside Vajda for the first two years. But it appears that Vajda already has a new player in the form of his young compatriot Alex Molcan, with RTVS sharing a video of the pair's first training session in Bratislava.

It comes as Djokovic is still hoping to find his best form ahead of his French Open title defence with Vajda no longer in his corner. The 20-time Grand Slam champion will now begin his Madrid Open campaign against Gael Monfils but has been warned over his last stint without Vajda in 2017, where he failed to get past the quarter-finals of a Major and his only title came at the ATP 250 in Eastbourne.

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24-year-old Molcan currently sits at No 47 in the world, one spot below his career-high achieved in April, and recently reached his second career final in Morocco where he lost to David Goffin. The Slovak's first final came against none other than Djokovic himself at the second edition of