"You put Andre Agassi and Ivan Lendl in the blender, you get Novak Djokovic" - Brad Gilbert hails Serb's near perfect all-round game
Former World No. 4 Brad Gilbert believes Novak Djokovic's game is a mixture of tennis legends Andre Agassi and Ivan Lendl's caliber.
The American Gilbert coached several top players, most noticeably Agassi, who won six Grand Slam titles under his guidance.
He recently joined the Holding Court podcast with host Patrick McEnroe and discussed tennis in an exclusive interview. Gilbert hailed the Serb's speed, movement and calculative all-round game.
"I really believe that if you put Andre Agassi and Ivan Lendl in the blender, you get Novak Djokovic," Gilbert said
Lendl and Agassi reached a combined total of 34 Grand Slam finals and managed to win eight Major titles each in their careers. They were considered among the best players of their era and raised the bar for future generations.
McEnroe agreed with Gilbert's comparison of Djokovic's game, and added that the only thing both veterans lacked was lightning quick speed as compared to the Serb's.
"The only difference is that Djokovic is lighting fast. Both those guys Agassi and Lendl were quick and could cover the court, but they weren't lighnting fast and as quick as Novak," McEnroe said
Djokovic is arguably the player to beat on the men's tour. He's been in scintillating form over the last few months, winning titles at the Astana Open, Tel Aviv Open, ATP Finals, Adelaide International 1 and most recently the 2023 Australian Open.
The 35-year-old also regained the No. 1 spot in the ATP rankings and equaled Rafael Nadal's record of the most Major titles (22) won in the Open Era.
"The highest standard of tennis that I've ever seen is when Novak is playing his best tennis" - Andre Agassi
American legend Andre Agassi has said that the highest level of tennis he has ever seen is when Novak Djokovic is playing at his best.
Djokovic recently broke Roger Federer's record for most weeks spent as the World No. 1 in the ATP rankings. Agassi acknowledged Djokovic's incredible achievement and hailed the Serb's all-round ability.
"Let me make it clear, that the highest standard of tennis that I've ever seen is when Novak is playing his best tennis. The single level, for whatever my tennis IQ is worth, is an unmistakable standard to which everybody will strive to be,” Agassi said in an interview in 2021.