As Novak Djokovic rolls into the second week of Wimbledon with the support of his newly formed team, it is still unknown what the future will entail.
The second seed progressed into the fourth round at SW19 with a straight sets win over Latvia’s Ernests Gulbis. Djokovic’s latest triumph saw him hit six aces and 21 winners to win his 57th main draw match at the tournament.
Guiding the Serbian this year is two people that has shined at Wimbledon in the past. 1992 champion Andre Agassi joined Djokovic’s team at the start of the French Open in what continues to be a trial period. Meanwhile, former semifinalist Mario Ancic, who has been a friend of Djokovic’s for years, was persuaded to join earlier this month.
Both men have not committed to work with Djokovic full-time, but he is already drawing positives from the experience.
“So far it’s fantastic. I mean, not just this tournament, but also in Paris. We spent a lot of quality time together on and off the court.” Said Djokovic.
“I’m glad to have them both. I think they contribute in their own way to my game. But most of all, there’s great chemistry, great synergy, great understanding,respect for each other.” He added.
It is a somewhat unique partnership between the three. There is no contract, no money and no guarantee of how long they will work together for. Prior to Ancic’s appointment, he was backed for the role by Agassi. The idea was to recruit somebody extra that could spend more time with Djokovic than the former world No.1. Although, the Croat has only committed to these two weeks so far.
“We don’t have anything formal. We don’t have any contracts. We don’t have any long-term agreements.”
A driving force behind the partnership is Djokovic’s admiration for both men. He describes Agassi as a very ‘committed and professional person’ that he can easily ‘connect with.’ As for his Croat mentor, it is what he did both in and out of tennis that inspires him.
“ He’s very successful. He’s very smart. He was one of the very few players and athletes, as a matter of fact, that have been successful and during their active career studied law, which is not an easy thing to study.” Djokovic said about Ancic, who now works in the financial sector.
“So I always had that admiration, respect for him, but mostly that friendship that we carried on even after his career ended”
After Wimbledon there will be further discussions about Team Djokovic and their plans for the US Open. In the meantime, the 30-year-old is preparing for his last-16 showdown with Adrian Mannarino on Monday.
