Novak Djokovic has hired Claudio Zimaglia as his new physiotherapist.  The move comes after Djokovic and his team couldn’t agree on a new contract with his Ulises Badio. Zimaglia recently worked with Jannik Sinner and previously worked with Milos Raonic.

The split is surprising because Djokovic and Badio shared a special bond. Badio played a crucial role in Djokovic’s return to full fitness following an elbow injury.

After inviting a lot of controversy for refusing to take the COVID-19 vaccine last year and being deported from Australia, Djokovic arrived in Adelaide quietly. He hit the courts immediately and was seen practicing with his team.

Djokovic is a nine-time Australian Open Champion and is a natural favorite for the tournament. Djokovic is currently ranked world number 5. He missed several tournaments last year due to his COVID-19 vaccination status. Though he won Wimbledon, he didn’t earn any points because Wimbledon was stripped of ATP points for refusing to allow Russian and Belarusian players to play at the tournament.

Novak Djokovic was seen wearing a raised collar shirt at the FIFA World Cup final to honor Serbian soccer player and manager Sinisa Mihajlovic who passed away recently.

On his Instagram page, Djokovic wrote:

Rest in peace, dear Siniša. My condolences to the Mihajlovic family. Thank you for everything you did for our sport, as well as in Italy. Your mark is indelible.

Mihajlovic played most of his career in the Italian Serie A. He is considered one of the best free kick takers of all time. He represented Yugoslavia in 63 matches. He coached the Serbian national team from May 2012 to November 2013.