By Richard Pagliaro | Monday, December 12, 2025Photo credit: Gonet Geneva Open Facebook
In the search for self-improvement, Novak Djokovic sees no finish line.
Grand Slam king Djokovic has been training for the 2026 season with a new and prominent team member.
Dr. Mark Kovacs, a human sports scientist, strength and conditioning coach and former all American tennis standout at Auburn, has been working with 24-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic on fitness, injury prevention and recovery, reports Djokovic Fan website.
🚨Novak Djokovic has hired a new member to his team.
Dr. Mark Kovacs is working with Novak with a focus on physical conditioning, injury prevention, biomechanics, recovery, and on-court performance optimization.
Novak is rebuilding his body and training hard for the new season. pic.twitter.com/euYhXL02MT
— Danny (@DjokovicFan_) December 14, 2025
Dr. Kovacs has previously worked for the USTA and Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA.
The 38-year-old Serbian superstar has long been one of the fittest men in tennis. A challenge for Djokovic is trying to maximize conditioning while playing far fewer tournaments than he has in past seasons and trying to topple the Big 2—Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner—who combined to knock him out of the final three Grand Slam semifinals of the 2025 season.
Continuing his quest for a record-extending 25th Grand Slam championship, Djokovic will apparently play the 2026 Australian Open without a tune-up tournament.
Ten-time AO champion Djokovic has won the Australian Open title in four of the last seven years. Sinner will arrive in Melbourne as two-time reigning AO champion.
