Novak Djokovic and Andre Agassi have ended their brief and unsuccessful player-coach relationship. Agassi made the announcement this weekend following troublesome trips for Djokovic to back-to-back Masters 1000 events in Indian Wells and Miami.
“With only the best intentions I tried to help Novak,” the 47-year-old American said in a statement released by ESPN. “We far too often found ourselves agreeing to disagree. I wish him only the best moving forward.”
Djokovic has not been at his best for more than a year. The former world No. 1 began his partnership with Agassi at last year’s French Open, where he got clobbered by Dominic Thiem in the quarterfinals. Djokovic kicked off his grass-court campaign with a title in Eastbourne but retired in the Wimbledon quarterfinals against Tomas Berdych due to an elbow injury and did not play again in 2017.
The 30-year-old Serb has looked far from 100 percent during his 2018 comeback, which includes a three-match losing streak on the heels of three early-round wins at the Australian Open. Djokovic fell to Hyeon Chung in straight sets in Melbourne, lost his Indian Wells opener to Taro Daniel, and fell right away in Miami in unceremonious 6-3, 6-4 fashion to Benoit Paire.
The 12-time Grand Slam champion expressed skepticism that he will begin his clay-court swing in Monte-Carlo, which had previously been the plan.
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not surprising
Shocked it took this long
Repeated from Nole page:
Sounds like Nole never bought in to Agassi’s ideas and Darren Cahill said he learned more from Andre than Andre did from him as his coach.
I hear that Lendl has been hanging around Miami this week considering hooking up with Zverev which would be a good move for both. Nole could use him more but is a more daunting project.
Isner sucks the life out of tennis. He’s s tennis vampire. Tennis needs to get rid of vampires just like Gulbis said.
Make tennis great again.
Isner has kinda been lighting it up from the ground too this week.
Still nothing but a spoiler in the long run though Benny even if he finall manages his first masters title after over a decade on tour but yes you’re right, but mostly due to his serve setting up short balls to tee off on.
True
Agassi was a really poor choice and contradicts Djokovic’s mindset and upbringing. Woke Agassi
Agassi was a really poor choice and contradicts Djokovic’s mindset and upbringing. While Agassi was a great ball striker and matured into an intelligent and efficient player, he was not renowned for being disciplined which is what Djojivic needs more than anything. Someone like Kafelnikov would be a good choice for Djojivic. Lendl maybe but for some reason I see those two clashing. Djokovic needs someone smaller in presence but mentally strong.
Good suggestion Jim . Kafelnikov. wouldn’t stand for any of the bullying,insulting treatment Djokovic routinely hurls at his box.
I never understood why Agassi ever agreed to the liaison in the first place.
Perhaps. However Becker was a big personality and Djokovic achieved the tennis grand slam with him as coach.
In addition, Lendl was disliked by the tennis crowds and was able to tune that out, a skill Djokovic needs to cure his current mental malaise.
True but Djokovic never looked comfortable with a strong identity like Becker in the stands and his form was a continuation of everything he achieved previously which eventually deteriorated.
Djokovic is better with a no-name coach, an Olympic trainer or something. The only one Djokovic wants in the spotlight is Djokovic.
When Djokovic says “I want to thank my team for their support”, he means I want to thank my tag-alongs for watching me succeed.
Ah. Thought you were being objective.
My mistake.
Becker gave Nole the ability to win the big matches consistently. That’s why he hired him and that’s what he achieved.
No evidence to suggest otherwise.
Agree to disagree.
If anything, Djokovic has been more open minded and successful at building the right team and learning from others than any of the big four to accomplish double digit slams.
He is suffering from burnout, mental fatigue and pro-fed led criticism by media and consistently poor crowd behaviour last but not least.
He needs a different style of coach now such as Lendl. Moot point because I don’t think Lendl wants that type of chalk with a thirty something great and would much prefer to shape a still raw talent like Zverev who under the right coach has the potential to be a double digit slam winner himself over the next five years given the lack of challengers in this next generation.
Zverev needs discipline which Lendl can deliver.
Given how Djokovic’s Game is suffering and what’s required to fix it, not sure what Kafelnikov would add.
Lendl could teach Nole how to channel the negativity from outside forces that has lead to his malaise which I’ve thought has been the biggest reason for his downward spiral since achieving the grand slam.
Well, according to tennis.com Novak has announced that he’ll no longer be working with Stepanek either.
My theory, based on no evidence whatsoever, is that Novak fired Boris because he didn’t want all that rigid discipline any more. He wanted to win without it. The wins went away along with Boris’ departure, didn’t they?
I find it difficult to imagine AZ working with the Great Stone Face but who knows?
While I give Becker full credit, I believe that his firing was more of a symptom than a problem.
That said, with the right mind set, rehiring Becker and his team would still work for him I believe.
The men’s game is a mess like 2001-07.
BB has been declared bankrupt, is up to his neck in debt in several countries and right now appears to be in poor health. My guess is Djokovic wants to keep his distance from Becker.
He now trains in Pepes place….Peppe waited his chance when Novak was vulnerable and then became the main guy in the team. When team was strong, satan was in the background being friendly.
No athlete in the history can possibly succeed whith the Peppe type of guy. Imagine Peppe in 18 years old Mike Tyson’s corner with heart on t-shirt…
Serbian press announced Novak is reunited with Vajda who has never left him and has been the silent support even when he was working with other coaches…