Novak Djokovic announced on Friday that he is seeking a new direction in his tennis career and has parted ways with his coach Marian Vajda, fitness trainer Gebhard Phil Gritsch and physio Miljan Amanovic. The World No. 2 took the decision after a quarter-final exit at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters (l. to Goffin). Next week, he will look to retain his title at the Mutua Madrid Open.

“I am forever grateful to Marian, GG and Miljan for a decade of friendship, professionalism and commitment to my career goals,” said Djokovic, in a statement on his official website. “Without their support I couldn’t have achieved these professional heights.

“I know [that] they completely dedicated themselves and their lives to help me achieve my dreams and they were always my driving force. It was not an easy decision, but we all felt that we need a change. I am very grateful and proud of our relationship and unbreakable bond that we built through years of mutual love, respect and understanding. They are my family and that will never change.”

Vajda, who had coached Djokovic since June 2006, said, “Time spent with Novak feels like a whole lifetime. We were part of many of his incredible achievements, we were living and breathing for his dreams. I gave everything I could as a coach and I am very proud of our results. We arrived to the point where we all realised we need new energy in the team. Novak can do so much more and I am sure he will.”

Djokovic had worked with Gritsch for eight years and Amanovic for the past 10 years. Former World No. 1 Boris Becker worked as Djokovic’s coach with Vajda from 2013 to 2016.

I have news that I'd like to share with you. https://t.co/ffMD5LZi5V

— Novak Djokovic (@DjokerNole) May 5, 2017

The Serbian star, who has compiled a 14-4 record in the 2017 ATP World Tour season, also said that he will not rush into a decision to appoint a new head coach.

“I feel like this is a new chapter in my life,” said Djokovic. “My career was always on the upward path and this time I’m experiencing how it is when the path takes you in a different direction. I want to find a way to come back to the top stronger and more resilient. I have so much faith in this process and that’s why I will take time to find the right person who I can connect with professionally.

“I have been on the Tour long enough to know how to manage daily routines and I don’t want to rush my decision. I will be on the Tour alone for a while with support of my family and management. I will inform the public when I find the right person, but for now I thank you for your support and understanding.

“I want to continue raising the level of my game and stamina and this is a continuous process. I enjoy this journey. It feels like I am starting something new again and I love this challenge. I am a hunter and my biggest goal is to find the winning spark on the court again.”

Djokovic, who will turn 30 on 22 May, has put together a 765-159 match record with 67 titles – including 12 Grand Slams and 30 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 crowns – since turning professional in 2003. The Mutua Madrid Open, where he beat Andy Murray in the 2016 final, begins on 7 May.

Looking to hold serve in the opening exchanges against countryman Mitchell Krueger, Tommy Paul crafted a memorable ATP Challenger Tour Hot Shot (video below).

“Yeah it was good,” reflected Paul. “When I first hit the tweener it had already been a pretty long point. When I ran back I was thinking ‘Am I actually going to hit a tweener here? I probably shouldn’t.’ I connected but I thought that point was over. I kind of got lucky, after his volley came right back at me, and I managed to direct that shot down the line.”

Playing as a wild card at the $75,000 Challenger in Savannah, Paul navigated past eighth seed Krueger 3-6, 7-6(6), 6-0 to earn a first ATP Challenger Tour quarter-final of the season. “I was pretty excited, we had a really good match, a lot of good points, but I just have to focus on my next match now,” added Paul. “I was pretty happy I got given the wild card to play here. I’m trying to make the best of the chance.”

The American is No. 393 in the Emirates ATP Rankings and is determined to climb back into the Top 200. “I’m always expecting more from myself. This year I don’t think I’ve started that well, but this week will definitely help,” said the 19 year old, who was at a career-high World No. 191 in April 2016. “I have to take it one match at a time. Every single match and tournament I sign up for, I want to win it.”

Horacio Zeballos has been enjoying a rich run of form on the ATP World Tour. The 32-year-old Argentine reached the semi-finals last week at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell and is now in the quarter-finals of the BMW Open by FWU. In doubles, he and Julio Peralta prevailed last month in Houston (d. Brown/Tiafoe) and finished runner-up in February in Quito (l. Cerretani/Oswald).

Zeballos has even been making a splash on social media, posing for selfies Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic after losing to them in competitive matches in Barcelona and Doha, respectively.

He shares some of his tennis memories in this Biofile with Scoop Malinowski.

First Tennis Memory: I remember my father’s club. He has a tennis club. I started to play there and my friends are from there.

Tennis Inspirations: My father was one of them. There’s also a lot of good Argentine players like David Nalbandian, Guillermo Coria and Gaston Gaudio. I remember watching all their matches.

Last Book Read: Game of Thrones.

First Famous Player You Met Or Encountered: Guillermo Vilas in Mar de Plata. I was eight years old. He did a clinic with the kids.

Greatest Moment Of Career: When I beat Nadal in the Vina del Mar final (2013).

Most Painful Moment: Sometime when I have to go and leave my family at home. I have to travel like for one or two months. It’s very tough.

Favorite Tournaments: Houston is one of them. I also like to play in Buenos Aires because I’m playing at home.

Why You Love Playing Tennis?: It’s a really nice sport. I’m not sitting in an office. I have the chance to be traveling around the world. See new places, see new countries. It’s beautiful.

Funniest Players Encountered: One of the funniest players is Gael Monfils.

Strangest Match: I remember one match I was leading 3-2 in the first set. We just started. My opponent said something bad to the umpire and he got disqualified, so I won [smiles]. It was at a Challenger.

Funny Tennis Memory: We have a lot of jokes whenever we are playing Davis Cup. For example, I put sticky stuff on [former] captain  [Martin Jaite]’s grip and then he couldn’t get his hand off the racquet [smiles].

Favorite Sport Outside Tennis: Chess.

Courtesy of Scoop Malinowski, tennis-prose.com. Scoop is the author of “Facing McEnroe”, “Facing Nadal, “Facing Hewitt”, “Facing Federer” and “Marcelo Rios: The Man We Barely Knew,” all available on Amazon.

Marcos Giron has grasped his wild card opportunity at the $75,000 ATP Challenger Tour event in Savannah by booking a quarter-final place to continue his rebuilding process.

The 23 year old had double hip surgery at the beginning of 2016 and was forced to endure 10 months on the sidelines. However, in Savannah, Giron has rediscovered his groove. He knocked out top seed Darian King in commanding style 6-4, 6-0, before ousting last week’s champion in Tallahassee Blaz Rola 7-5, 1-6, 6-3.

“It feels good. Overall I’ve been feeling good about my game and I’ve had chances to go far in Dallas and San Francisco,” said Giron. “I feel like a lot of these guys I competed against through juniors and college. I know I can play with them and beat them, it’s just a matter of doing it. I’ve been going for my shots, I’m now trusting my game.”

Rola defeated Giron en route to lifting the trophy in Tallahhassee and the American revealed it was satisfying to gain revenge on the clay of Savannah as he seeks a maiden ATP Challenger Tour semi-final.

“Oh definitely. Especially knowing that last week he was sharper than me, but then he went onto win the tournament,”added Giron. “It feels good that he’s playing solid tennis and I beat him. Darian (King) is near the Top 100 in the world (No. 108) and then I beat Rola. It’s a good start but I want to keep going.”

The 2014 NCAA Champion at UCLA believes his extended absence from the court in 2016 could become a blessing. “The 10 months out last season enabled me to spend some time at home, to reassess everything,” said Giron. “Obviously I want to do well, but I want to play a full year being healthy as a professional player and not just watching on from the sidelines. Since my injuries, I’ve been a lot more diligent with my mobility, stretching and strength conditioning.”

Giron, who reached a sixth ATP Challenger Tour quarter-final in Savannah, has been on quite a journey since his breakout in 2014, but he remains patient in his pursuit of rising up the Emirates ATP Rankings.

“I got to play John Isner as a wild card on Arthur Ashe Stadium (losing in straight sets) at the 2014 US Open, which was really cool,” explained the World No. 410. “I also got to be a Davis Cup hitting partner, so it was a pretty great start. Unfortunately the results didn’t initially follow, I’ve had a few injuries, so I’ve been back playing futures and Challengers.

“I’m glad I took the time to go to college and then I had surgery, so everybody has their own timeline. I haven’t had as much success as I’d like, but it’s tough, everybody’s pretty good. Everybody is looking for that transition up to the ATP World Tour. I think anybody can win on any week and it comes down to who converts their chances.”

Despite falling in the early stages of qualifying on the ATP World Tour at the BNP Paribas Open and at the Delray Beach Open earlier this season, Giron is determined to learn from the experiences.

“They didn’t go as I’d have liked, but it was great to see the top pros in action, to see what they do,” added the Californian. “Being in that atmosphere was pretty cool, everybody wants to play on the ATP World Tour and hopefully tournaments like this (Savannah) can be building blocks to that.”