Novak victory shouldn’t surprise anyone: Agassi
LONDON: Novak Djokovic has lost his aura of invincibility but coach Andre Agassi says nobody should be surprised if the Serb goes on to claim his fourth Wimbledon title this month.
Djokovic has dropped to fourth in singles rankings after an inconsistent season and the 30-year-old’s Aegon International triumph on Saturday was only his second title of the year.
“Don’t be surprised,” eighttime Grand Slam winner Agassi, who joined Djokovic’s team prior to French Open in May, was quoted as saying by the Guardian newspaper.
“Can a guy like this objectively find his way back to the trophy? Heck, yeah he could .... That’s the plan, that’s always the plan – to get better – and the belief in winning has to be yours and yours alone.
“I think there’s enough momentum that could build to give that particular dream, hope or objective a real shot.”
The American said his growing familiarity with Djokovic has led to a better understanding of the game-plan, which could guide the 12-time grand slam champion back to his best.
“I know him so much better now than I did coming in and that’s so important.
“I can effectively say there is belief in what the plan is and how we’re going to go about it,” Agassi added.
“It will get more nuanced and layered as we go – it’s problem solving and I am enjoying learning, I’m enjoying giving some tools and I have the utmost belief that it’s going to make him once again the best of who he is.”
Djokovic also has added Mario Ancic, who reached the semi-finals at Wimbledon in 2004, to his coaching team for his SW19 campaign, which starts with a match against Slovakia’s Martin Klizan in the first round on Tuesday. LONDON: Two-time winner Petra Kvitova and world No 3 Karolina Pliskova will be tough to beat at Wimbledon because the tournament’s grass courts suit their games down to the ground, Serena Williams’ coach Patrick Mouratoglou has said.
With last year’s champion Williams taking time out to give birth to her first child, Mouratoglou also said home hope Johanna Konta has a chance if she can handle the pressure.
The event will be Kvitova’s third tournament after recovering from serious injuries suffered during a stabbing attack in December and the 27-year-old won her pre-Wimbledon grass tournament at the Aegon Classic in Birmingham last month.
French Open semi-finalist Pliskova is on the hunt for her fourth title this year after winning the Aegon International last Saturday and Mouratoglou believes that both players can continue their impressive form on the surface.
“Wimbledon is as open but with a little difference compared to Roland Garros and that’s because grass is very special - it’s a big advantage for those players whose games fit well with grass,” Mouratoglou told the WTA website. “Players like Petra (Kvitova), Karolina Pliskova and a few others have an advantage over the others because of their game styles matching so well with grass.”
The Frenchman added that Konta would have to channel the home crowd in a positive manner if she was to have any chance.
“Konta can win Wimbledon... She’s top 10 in the world. She hasn’t played that well over the last few weeks but that’s because clay is not her best surface.
“But on a fast surface such as grass I think she can do really well,” Mouratoglou added.
“As a player competing at your home grand slam, you feel that people are rooting for you and it can help you incredibly.
“If Konta takes this the right way, the crowd can be an incredible help.”Kvitova and Konta started their Wimbledon campaigns, facing Sweden’s Johanna Larsson and Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-Wei in the first round in late matches later on Monday.