Novak Djokovic splits with coach Boris Becker after three years together

Novak Djokovic has split from coach Boris Becker after three years working together.

Djokovic hired the former world number one ahead of the 2014 season in what was widely seen as a surprising move, but critics were silenced as the Serbian won six grand slam titles and dominated the sport.

Announcing the news on his Facebook page, Djokovic said: "After three very successful years, Boris Becker and I have jointly decided to end our cooperation

"The goals we set when we started working together have been completely fulfilled, and I want to thank him for the cooperation, teamwork, dedication and commitment.

"On the other hand, my professional plans are now directed primarily to maintain a good level of play, and also to make a good schedule and new goals for the next season. In this regard I will make all future decisions."

The news had been widely anticipated following Djokovic's disappointing second half of the season.

After achieving his biggest goal by finally winning the French Open to hold all four slam titles, Djokovic added just one trophy in six months and lost his world number one ranking to Andy Murray.

He consistently declined to answer questions about Becker's future during the last couple of months of the season but it was clear all was not well.

The 29-year-old spoke of struggles with motivation and Spanish coach Pepe Imaz, who takes a spiritual approach to working with players, was an increasingly prominent presence.

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What role Imaz will have moving forward remains to be seen, while it seems certain Djokovic will continue to work with his long-time coach Marian Vajda.

Vajda has been by Djokovic's side for a decade but took a back seat when Becker came in after expressing a wish not to travel as much.

Becker wrote on Twitter following the announcement of the split: "Thank U ! We had the time of our life."

Speaking to the Mail on Sunday at the weekend, the German said: "'I truly enjoyed the last three years, I had a blast. I was in my element and I will continue to be in my element in the future. No regrets, it was an unbelievable ride."

Andy Murray's partnership with Ivan Lendl set a trend for supercoaches, which also included Roger Federer working with Stefan Edberg.

But Djokovic's decision to hire Edberg's great rival Becker was the one that really caught the eye, and was greeted with more than a little scepticism.

It appeared a unlikely fit in terms of personality, while Becker's eccentric style as a TV pundit left many within the tennis world questioning what he could offer a player already at the top of his game.

But the six-time grand slam champion ended up guiding Djokovic to the best two years of his career, with the Serbian winning six of eight slams between Wimbledon in 2014 and the French Open this year.

When he lost to Rafael Nadal in the Roland Garros final two years ago, it was his fifth defeat in six major finals, and many pundits speculated Becker would not last the season.

But Djokovic went on to defeat Federer in a five-set Wimbledon final and did not look back, putting together one of the best seasons in tennis history in 2015 and then becoming the first man in 47 years to hold all four slam titles.

Becker, a man never lacking in confidence, imbued his man with extra belief at the biggest moments and added an extra dimension to his game by encouraging him to attack the net.

The German certainly leaves with his head held high while Djokovic must decide whether he needs to add another voice to help him get back to his best in 2017.

PA.