2018 is going to be a big year for
Coach Agassi. A little like being thrown in at the deep end, he has some big
shoes to fill in his first coaching role, and Novak Djokovic is going to want
to hit the ground running after his lukewarm 2017. The Australian Open has been
Djokovic’s most successful Grand Slam in the past, by some way, and at the
start of the season he will be hoping to make an impression, to stamp his mark
on the early proceedings of the new season.
Since the appointment of Agassi, filling
the gap left by Becker’s departure and the ensuing split with the remainder of
his team (including Marian Vajda who had been his coach for over a decade and
overseen his ascendency to world number one) on an initially temporary basis,
everything in camp Djokovic has seemed a little uncertain. Only a couple of
small titles over the course of the year, and having to cut it short after the
summer due to injury has meant that a much-needed break was enforced. His body
was clearly worn by his years at the top and the exertions therein. Having seen
what Federer and Nadal have achieved post-injury, Djokovic and Murray will be
chomping at the bit to get back on court and back up the rankings.
This inevitably puts pressure on
Andre Agassi. Having never had a coaching post before, and with his predecessors
having overseen a total of 12 Grand Slam victories and 30 Masters’ titles (to
name the Serb’s greatest achievements to date), it’s both a high-profile post
and one accompanied by great expectations. Agassi seemed to take it in his
stride in the early months of the union, but he must surely know that the
spotlight and pressure will fall on him should his player not quickly resume
his position amongst the elite of the sport. It’s a tentative role, to say the
least. Agassi’s coaching credentials have been neither previously witnessed nor
proven and here he now occupies one of the most demanding and intense roles in
the whole of tennis. He looked nervous at times watching on, as Djokovic failed
as he had for the past year to re-capture his astounding form of the previous
five years, during the summer. Agassi is clearly invested, hoping to carve a
successful path as a coach in addition to his magnificent playing career, and
the months ahead could prove a fascinating period for both player and coach.
What is clear is that after the
initial months before Djokovic’s injury, in which Agassi was in his corner,
they have clearly cemented their relationship and decided that for now it works
for each of them. Nobody can predict if Djokovic will return to his previous
heights (he also turns 31 next spring), but his partnership with Agassi proves
the type of move that signals ambition and heralds a new and exciting era for
both parties. What happens next is anybody’s guess, and Coach Agassi might just
have the magic to bring Djokovic’s tennis back to life.
First published on tennisworldusa.org
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