Andre Agassi believes that Novak Djokovic will return to his winning ways at the US Open after a roller coaster summer.
The world No.1 has recently experienced celebration and commiseration on the tour. At the Wimbledon Championships he crashed out in the third round to America’s Sam Querrey, his worst performance at the grand slam since 2008. He recovered from his shock exit by winning the Canadian Open before suffering a first round loss to Juan Martin del Potro at the Rio Olympics.
Djokovic’s recent lacklustre form has raised questions about his ability to defend his title, especially when Andy Murray is on a 20-match winning streak. The upcoming US Open will be the latest indicator to see if Djokovic’s dominance on the tour has finally come to an end. Questions certainly remain about the Serbian, but eight-time grand slam champion Agassi believes he is still the man to beat at Flushing Meadows.
“He will come back for the U.S. Open,” Agassi told CNN’s Open Court.
“Anybody that knows me knows that I think he should win everything all the time,”
“That is how he separated himself from everybody.”
It isn’t the first time that Agagssi has shown his admiration towards the 29-year-old. Two years ago, he predicted that Djokovic would dominated the 2015 season. Agassi was right as the world No.1 became the first man in history to win $20 Million within one season.
This year Djokovic is aiming to become the first man to win back-to-back US Open titles since Roger Federer won five in a row between 2004-2008.
The dreaded retirement
This year’s US Open isn’t just important for the world No.1, it is also the 10th anniversary of Agassi’s final match on the tour. The American received a four-minute standing ovation following his third round loss to Germany’s Benjamin Becker. It was a special moment that will forever stay in Agassi’s memory, however, leading up to it was an entirely different feeling.
“It’s like preparing for death,” He said about retirement.
“Nobody knows what it’s going to feel like and nobody knows when it is going to happen and when it does, it’s your time.”
Despite the dreaded feeling, Agassi has survived the retirement-blues with numerous activities he has worked on alongside his wife, Steffi Graf. There are also no money fears for the former world No.1, who has a net worth of $175 Million according to therichest.com.
