FINAL TUNE-UP BEFORE WIMBLEDON: Sinner dismissed two of Nole’s team members, Djokovic brought in Jannik’s former coach!

Novak Djokovic has once again “refreshed” his coaching staff, with Croatian Dalibor Sirola replacing Gebhard Phil-Gritsch.

We are talking about the position of fitness coach, which the Austrian held on several occasions, primarily from 2009 to 2019.

Gritsch returned to the team in 2024, replacing Marco Panichi, and remained in that position until recently, although it is still unknown whether the parting is definitive or temporary.

A new face appeared at the practices before Wimbledon in the form of Sirola, leading many to wonder what kind of expert he is.

Dalibor was born in Rijeka, is the founder of “Sirola Training Systems,” and has been in the world of tennis for more than 15 years.

His first serious tennis collaboration was with Ivan Ljubičić, for whose conditioning and strength he was responsible from 2009 until the Croatian tennis player’s retirement.

After that, he collaborated for two years with Italian Andreas Seppi, who at that time reached his best ranking – 18th place on the ATP list.

In 2013, he began a long journey with Miloš Raonić, which lasted for four full years. The Canadian also reached his best placement then – the third position on the list.

In 2017, Dalibor took under his wing the then-young Italian, Jannik Sinner, who became the NextGen champion in 2019, at that time still just a promising boy.

During 2018 and 2019, he worked with compatriot Borna Ćorić, only to soon take over Maria Sharapova, a five-time Grand Slam champion.

That collaboration lasted too short, from late 2019 until the Russian’s retirement in 2020.

Sirola has been employed for 13 years at the tennis academy of the famous Riccardo Piatti, with whom Novak collaborated in the early phase of his career.

This is where the connection of this collaboration is found, just as it was the case with Claudio Cimali, who also comes from Piatti’s academy.

Sirola is engaged as the head of the performance department of Piatti’s tennis center.

“Well, I guess I couldn’t find anyone better here,” Sirola said when asked by journalist Carole Bouchard.

“He is known as a passionate coach who always gives his best to help players stay healthy and physically progress,” his website states.

His last concrete engagement with a top player was from February 2023 to June 2024 when he worked with Sascha Zverev.

It was a challenge for Dalibor, as Zverev suffered a severe ankle injury in May 2022, which he also underwent surgery for.

He had to rebuild his physical condition from scratch, which would allow him to fight for the biggest titles. After a disappointing American tour upon his return, he decided to seek help.

Sirola helped him find the desired conditioning, as well as the right mental approach. The results show that he succeeded in this.

🏋🏼‍♀️ Fitness Tip 18: How to keep or improve your thoracic mobility @dalibor_sirola | @head_tennis pic.twitter.com/HJVjUHYPCO
— Piatti Tennis Center (@PiattiTennis) June 13, 2025

Sinner Dismissed Djokovic’s People

Somewhat surprising news comes from Jannik Sinner’s camp just before the start of Wimbledon. Physiotherapist Ulises Badio and fitness coach Marco Panichi have been “fired” and will no longer cooperate with the world’s number one tennis player, “SkySport Italia” reports.

The information is even more interesting when we consider that both of them were members of our Novak Djokovic’s team for many years. Making such a cut before Wimbledon is quite strange.

The mentioned source states that an announcement could be expected during the day, to clarify the reasons for the parting of the three sides. Also, the names of their successors are unknown, and we will wait to see who will assist Sinner alongside Simone Vagnozzi and Darren Cahill.

The “fired” duo had previously moved to the Italian’s camp allegedly due to a doping scandal. Sinner tested positive for clostebol during a Masters tournament in Indian Wells in 2024.

It is a banned steroid, and allegedly, according to the testimony of him and his coaches, it entered his body because physiotherapist Giacomo Nardi massaged him without gloves, and before that, Sinner’s fitness coach Umberto Ferrara sprayed his finger with a spray containing clostebol due to a wound he had.

Sinner plays against compatriot Luca Nardi in the first round of Wimbledon, and the tournament begins on Monday, June 30.