"Novak Djokovic can play on any surface and be the favorite to win" - Andre Agassi
Andre Agassi recently spoke in glowing terms about the Big 3 of men's tennis - Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, and Rafael Nadal. The American also provided some insight into his brief and uncomfortable tenure as the Serb’s coach.
Agassi and his wife Steffi Graf were invited to be part of the 2020 Hindustan Times Leadership Summit, where they spoke at length with noted Indian sports journalist Ayaz Memon.
The American began by revealing that Roger Federer's genius was clear to him right from the first time they locked horns on the tour (Basel 1998). The then 17-year-old Federer got a 6-3, 6-2 beatdown on that day, but showed enough glimpses of his extraordinary talent to leave a lasting impression in Agassi’s mind.
“What I would tell you is the day I played Federer that was the day I realized that I was playing, you know, the greatest player of all time, at that moment, you know,” Agassi said.
Andre Agassi then lauded Rafael Nadal and suggested that the Spaniard has matched Federer's lofty standards.
“I think since then I played Nadal a couple times, since then Nadal has answered that bell. I never got to see Nadal's best tennis, and I am very thankful for that. I don't want to, I'd rather watch from my couch than see it from the other side.”
The four-time Australian Open champion then reminded everyone of Novak Djokovic's dominant record against Federer and Nadal. Agassi believes Djokovic’s extraordinary versatility makes him stand out in this highly competitive generation.
“You can make an argument for Novak too he has a winning record against both of them,” Agassi remarked. “Who has done some accomplishments that they haven't done, who in my opinion, can play on any surface and be the favorite to win, which is a remarkable thing to say during this generation.”
Challenging Novak Djokovic to stop working with me was a reason for him to prove something: Andre Agassi
Agassi then delved deeper into his brief stint as Novak Djokovic’s coach. The American was part of the Serb’s team from May 2017 to March 2018 but called it quits due to a string of disagreements.
Novak Djokovic and Andre Agassi were often at loggerheads about the former’s elbow injury, which derailed a major part of his 2017 season. While Novak Djokovic wanted to play the waiting game and let the injury heal on its own, Agassi wanted an immediate surgery to resolve the matter quickly.
Djokovic eventually underwent the procedure and returned as a much stronger version of himself, both physically and mentally. As such, Agassi believes he triggered a positive shift in Novak Djokovic’s career by parting ways with him.
"I think that what Novak Djokovic needed was reason to fight and to care," Agassi explained. "It wasn't like he lost his game overnight, there was a lot of information that took him a while to process unquestionably, because he has so many skills that he didn't have to think about the game the way that I thought about the game. But ultimately, me challenging him to stop working with me was a reason for him to prove something and he took ownership of his own tennis and he went back to his roots."
"And that's, that's always been what he's needed out there on a tennis court," Agassi added. "If you ever notice him on a tennis court, he's always looking to get agitated at something and, and if he can get agitated, he gets more locked in and gets more focused. I just might have poked the bear a little harder a little sooner."