Novak Djokovic loses Italian Open final to Alexander Zverev before announcing Andre Agassi as his new coach
The eight-time Grand Slam champion Andre Agassi will be in Novak Djokovic's box when the former World No 1 begins the defence of his Roland-Garros title next week
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Your support makes all the difference.Novak Djokovic was stunned in the final of the Italian Open by Alexander Zverev on Sunday, before the news broke that the 12-time Grand Slam champion was to be coached by Andre Agassi at the forthcoming French Open.
The World No 2, who has struggled for form since his shocking Third Round loss to Sam Querrey at Wimbledon last year, revealed the news shortly after losing the final of the Internazionali BNL d'Italia to 20-year-old Zverev 6-4, 6-3.
Djokovic has been without a court since he dismissed his entire backroom staff – including long-term coach Marian Vajda – earlier this month, in a decision he described as “shock therapy”.
The Serbian described his partnership with Agassi as “without any long-term commitment” and added that the American great would not be present throughout the two-week tournament.
“I spoke to Andre the last couple weeks on the phone, and we decided to get together in Paris,” Djokovic said after his defeat to Zverev. “So he's going to be there. We'll see what (the) future brings.
“We are both excited to work together and see where it takes us. We don't have any long-term commitment. It's just us trying to get to know each other in Paris a little bit.
“He will not stay the whole tournament. He's going to stay only to a certain time, and then we'll see after that what's going to happen.”
Agassi, an eight-time Grand Slam champion, is regarded as one of the finest players in the history of tennis and his total of four Australian Open titles was a record until Djokovic won for a fifth time in Melbourne, in 2015.
As well as a mutual love of Melbourne Park, the two men also share similar games. Both men have built their success around attacking from behind the baseline, and both are famed for hitting the ball both exceptionally early and exceptionally flat.
Djokovic is not the first player to turn towards a famed ex-pro in an attempt to overhaul their game. Rafael Nadal added Carlos Moya to his coaching team last year and Kei Nishikori has worked with Michael Chang, while much of Andy Murray's recent success is owed to his strong relationship with Ivan Lendl.
After a frustratingly inconsistent start to the 2017 season, it would appear Djokovic’s partnership with Agassi will need to bear fruit immediately if the former World No 1 is to have any hope of defending his title at Roland-Garros.
Although Djokovic has impressed in Rome with stylish victories over the former US Open champion Juan Martin del Potro and the fast-improving Dominic Thiem, he was comprehensively outplayed by Zverev, who broke in the very first game and was rarely challenged during his straight-sets victory.
The German’s win saw him become the youngest player to win a Masters 1000 event since Djokovic himself won in Miami over a decade ago, at the age of 19.
“I don't know what to say,” Zverev said during the trophy presentation. “Coming in to this week I never thought I could be standing here in the finals or getting this trophy.
“It's such an honour being on the court against one of the best ever players,” he added. “If I have half the career Novak has had, I will be just fine.”
Djokovic appeared drained in the final having won two matches on Saturday because of a rain delay on Friday night. He made nearly twice as many unforced errors as his younger opponent, in a match lasting just under an hour and a half.
The title means Zverev moves to a career-high No. 10 in the ATP rankings on Monday, placing him firmly in contention at Roland-Garros. The youngster saw his odds shorten to 14/1 after his win, placing him as sixth-favourite behind Nadal, Djokovic, Thiem, Murray and Stan Wawrinka.
The tennis legend Rod Laver presented Zverev with the trophy.
“Getting the trophy from Mr. Laver is something very special and something I'll remember for the rest of my career,” Zverev added.
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