It’s love-all so far for Djokovic and Agassi
● New coach has world No 2 full of optimism as he begins title defence
It was the marriage made in the dreams of a thousand publicists: Novak Djokovic, recently divorced from Boris Becker and even more recently separated from the rest of his team, hooks up with Andre Agassi. The headlines could write themselves.
The new relationship is just one match old – by way of a couple of practice sessions – and so far, Djokovic is well and truly loved up. Yesterday, under Agassi’s watchful gaze, the world No 2 ground a little rustily through the gears to beat Marcel Granollers 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 and make his way to the second round of the French Open. It was not a sparkling performance but it was just enough to start the defence of his title.
What Agassi thought of his charge’s match was irrelevant; what mattered to Djokovic was how his new guru was going to turn him into a better person as well as a better player.
“He understands exactly what one top tennis player goes through,” said Djokovic. “For us it was most important from the very beginning to establish this relationship where we are able to share some intimate things with each other, and we are able to really open up.
“So it’s more about sharing how he feels about my game, about the opponent, about some general things and me, as well. So it’s very much a twoway kind of conversation. We kind of complement each other. He says the right things in the right moment. Everything he says, it’s very useful for me. And it definitely makes sense.”
Alas, the love-in will not last, not here at any rate. Djokovic, who plays Joao Sousa next, is hoping Agassi will stick around until the end of the week but he cannot be sure. The great man has a busy diary and he has appointments that cannot be changed for anyone, not even the world No 2. “It’s hopefully something that can be long term,” Djokovic added.
Rafael Nadal’s relationship with Roland Garros ought to be deeper, stronger and more affectionate but it does seem that that his love for the French Open is a very one-sided affair. Only in Paris would the schedulers bump a nine-time champion and the overwhelming favourite for this year’s title off the centre court to begin his challenge for glory. While Djokovic was limbering up in front of a sparse crowd on Court Philippe Chatrier, Nadal was trekking out to Court Suzanne Lenglen to take on Benoit Paire. But ,if the French authorities thought they could keep the Spanish King of Roland Garros out of the spotlight, they surely could not have believed that hewouldthengoon to lose to a Frenchman, particularly one ranked No 45 in the world and one who had never taken a set from Nadal, left, before. Sure enough, Nadal sprinted through the first set in 26 minutes. So far, so expected. But then Paire had the temerity to break the Nadal serve twice – cue much rejoicing from the partisan crowd – and even if he could not hold on to his lead, he did manufacture another couple of break points at 4-3. That got the crowd fired up but Nadal soon poured cold water on their exuberance: he held serve, broke and then ran away with the match.
“I played very good first set,” Nadal said. “During the second I suffered a little bit, especially with 4-3, bad point. And after that I make the break straight and then finished close set, and it was a little bit less difficult.”
He made it sound so easy but, then again, he has always made winning at Roland Garros seem straightforward. And coming back this year, he has that old glint in his eye. He has not lifted the trophy since 2014 but the winning habit has returned. He said; “I’ll do my utmost, which is always what I do when I practice, when I play a match.
“I put out my best tennis, and we’ll see what’s going to happen. I’m not particularly obsessed in anything in particular, except that I have to play my best tennis. Then we’ll see what’s going to happen.”
When Nadal is thinking like that, he is all but unstoppable.