New Delhi: To see his fiercest rivals Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal call time on their tennis careers could be emotionally draining for Novak Djokovic in the twilight years of his career, feels Andre Agassi.
Federer had hung up his racquet in 2020 and Nadal did so last month after nearly a decade and half of intense rivalry between the three modern greats of the game.
The 37-year-old Djokovic himself is nearing the end of his journey that has seen him win a record 24 Grand Slams, two more than Nadal and four more than Federer.
Eight time Grand Slam winner Agassi said it would be very tough for Djokovic to remain competitive against the newer set of players led by Carlos Alcaraz as motivation could be a big factor.
“He’s already done so much, so long, and it’s hard to imagine longer. I think he’ll run out of the energy for it more than the capability of it, I would imagine.
“It cannot be easy, especially when the people you came to the dance with have left,” the American said at an event in Bengaluru on Wednesday.
Agassi spoke from experience after himself experiencing an empty feeling when his great rival Pete Sampras quit in 2002.
“When Pete (Sampras) retired, it was a blow to me. It set me back a little bit. It made me have to rediscover my inspirations on some level,” the American said.
“And he’s (Djokovic) lost the guys that he’s made history with. So, it’s probably emotionally going to get tougher and tougher quickly, but I would never bet against him. Bet against him at your own peril,” said Agassi.
Djokovic has appointed his another contemporary Andy Murray as coach for the new season in 2025. Agassi said he is looking forward to seeing them work together
“They’ve been fierce rivals on court, and now Murray will be coaching Djokovic. Well, in any coaching student relationship, you need trust. Trust can take time,” he said.
“I think there’s an asset to their history as competitors, but any success of a relationship is based on (9:07) complete buy-in.”
‘Alcaraz has best of Nadal, Djokovic and Federer’
Alcaraz has been annointed as Djokovic’s heir and Agassi was full of praise for the Spaniard, who at 21 has already won four major titles.
“I’m not a genius and I don’t have a crystal ball. What I can tell you is Alcaraz defends like Novak, has power and spin like Nadal and has hands and finesse like Federer,” said Agassi, who is married to women’s stalwart Steffi Graff.
“Just because he has the best of all those three doesn’t mean he can do what they did because there’re so many other parts to the game, which mean decision-making, injuries, you know, luck.”
The 37-year-old Djokovic himself is nearing the end of his journey that has seen him win a record 24 Grand Slams, two more than Nadal and four more than Federer. Tennis Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
