Novak Djokovic has fired the most resounding shot in the volley of season-ending coaching changes Tuesday, announcing on Twitter that he has terminated his successful three-year relationship with "Supercoach" Boris Becker.
"The goals we set when we started working together have been completely fulfilled," Djokovic wrote. After thanking Becker, Djokovic added, "On the other hand, my professional plans are now directed primarily to maintain a good level of play and also to maintain a good schedule and new goals for the new season."
The awkward phrasing of his latter remarks might raise some questions about how the two men felt Djokovic ought to react to the decline in his game in the past few months of the year. But in his own Twitter response, Becker was nothing but gracious. "Thank U!" the 49-year-old six-time German Grand Slam champion wrote, "We had the time of our life."
Djokovic's decision is the first signal he has sent that he feels a need to make some changes on the heels of a period during which he lost some key matches, including the US Open final, and the world No. 1 ranking. This after a nearly unbeatable start to the 2016 season in which he won his first French Open title, completing his career Slam.
The No. 2-ranked Djokovic named Becker his "head coach" in December 2013. Becker guided the Serb to six of his 12 Grand Slam titles and 14 of his 30 ATP Masters 1000 titles.
Becker became the youngest Grand Slam singles champion when he rode his booming serve to the Wimbledon title in 1985 at the age of 17 years, 227 days (a record later eclipsed by Michael Chang). He won Wimbledon three times, the Australian Open twice and added a US Open title as well.
A former No. 1, Becker was also one of the most colorful and popular players of all time, and an icon in his native land. But he suppressed that side of his personality during his three-year stint with Djokovic, developing a reputation as a fiercely loyal and self-effacing presence who sat stone-still in the player-guest box, often wearing a baseball cap and track suit, watching his protégé pick apart the likes of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray.
Thus far, Djokovic has said nothing about the fate of the other coach who has been at his side for years, Marian Vajda.
Pepe Imaz, a Svengali-like figure who subscribes to a "peace and love" philosophy, was an increasingly visible presence in Djokovic's camp in recent months. Djokovic calls him an "adviser."
Djokovic can take some solace in knowing his 2017 season will begin in Australia, where he is a six-time champion (including the past two).
While most of the major coaching changes have occurred in the WTA ranks, ATP No. 3 Milos Raonic also surprised some observers recently when he terminated his relationship with one of his coaches, former French Open champion Carlos Moya.
"These relationships come down to individual dynamics," Tennis Channel analyst Paul Annacone told ESPN.com. Annacone, who coached Federer for more than three years and Pete Sampras for more than five, added: "Sometimes, they run their course and the relationship goes stale. It's just human nature."
It's also human nature to want to make a change when things aren't going exactly as hoped, and that was undoubtedly where Djokovic found himself at the end of the 2016 season.