Miljan Amanovic, Novak Djokovic’s physio, was recently seen in his box after reducing his workload.
Miljan Amanovic, Novak Djokovic’s long-time physiotherapist, was forced to change his career after suffering a heart attack, which he blamed on the stress of travelling on the tennis tour. Working at Djokovic’s tennis centre in Serbia and accompanying him on part-time trips, Amanovic began working with the world No. 1 in 2007 but has since taken a step back.
Since the beginning of his career, Djokovic’s team has had a number of reliable individuals in Amanovic. A year before the Serbs’s 2008 Grand Slam victory, the two began working together. However, they had a brief breakup in 2017 when Djokovic completely reorganised his squad, firing longtime coach Marian Vajda as well as fitness coach Gebhard Phil Gritsch.
Although Amanovic was able to return to Djokovic’s box in the end, it was only after he had a heart attack and was unable to travel full-time. A new book that chronicles the 24-time Major champion’s ascent to the top of tennis, Novak Djokovic: The Best of All Time, mentions the incident.
“Amanovic ceased collaborating with Novak in 2017 after the latter made significant alterations to his support group. According to the book, the physiotherapist claimed that the stress of travelling full-time on the ATP Tour was the reason for his heart attack the same year.
The Croatian physiotherapist later declared, “I survived a severe heart attack,” after fully recuperating. I had four resuscitations. I can now honestly state that it was God’s will because, had one small piece of the puzzle not fallen into place that day, I very likely would not still be here on Earth. They claim to have battled for me for forty minutes.
Amanovic and Vajda were fired by Djokovic in 2017, although he later brought them back. Amanovic was spotted supporting the world No. 1 at the Australian Open as recently as last month, while Vajda permanently quit the team in 2022. But following the heart attack, he was compelled to reduce his workload.
However, Amanovic returned to his squad before the year’s end after the top player in the world fired Ulises Badio, the second physiotherapist he had hired in May 2017. Amanovic, who also worked for Red Star Belgrade, accompanied Djokovic to the Australian Open in 2023, where he prevailed despite tearing his hamstring. He thanked his longtime physical therapist for tending to his body during the competition, saying to the Serbian media, “Miljan is one of the closest people in my life.” He has been putting in a lot of work lately and always does his best. It would be much more difficult without Miljan, for which I am incredibly thankful.
Djokovic declared in 2022 that the physiotherapist would be moving to his Novak Tennis Centre in Belgrade for a new position. “Miljan has three children and a long travel history. Miljan is one of the important individuals in our ambitious aspirations to turn the Novak Tennis Centre into an academy. He will mean the world to us; therefore, I’m thrilled he took that post,” he remarked at the Serbia Open, a competition hosted at his facilities.
Amanovic has been accompanying Djokovic on more trips in recent months, and during the Australian Open this year, he was once again spotted in his box. The physiotherapist’s continued treatment with the 36-year-old following his ordeal is evidence of their strong relationship.
