Andre Agassi was coaching Novak Djokovic in 2017…
The Serbian superstar struggled with form during the first few months of the 2017 season and decided to bring in Agassi as his new coach after losing the Italian Open final.
An underwhelming French Open quarterfinal defeat followed, before Djokovic won Eastbourne in the lead-up to Wimbledon.
It was at Wimbledon, however, that tennis legend John McEnroe made some unsavory comments about the number-two seed.
Taking issue with those comments, Agassi, defending his player, sought out McEnroe.
Andre Agassi said he hoped John McEnroe would ‘show more judgment’ in the future
Speaking live on the BBC, McEnroe said this about Djokovic’s struggles in 2017.
“If you’re distracted, you’re not the same player,” he said.
“The person that comes to mind immediately with Novak [Djokovic] is golfer Tiger Woods.
“He had issues with his wife; he seemed to go completely off the rails, and has never been even close to the same player.
“So we’re starting to say, ‘Wait a minute, is this possible with him?”
As reported by The Sun, Agassi was unhappy with the way McEnroe publicly spoke about Djokovic.
“I spoke to John [McEnroe] directly about that,” he said.
“We all have the potential to say regretful things that come with unnecessary hurt to people.
“My hope is that he’ll show more judgment moving forward.”
Djokovic didn’t seem to mind, however, and said this about McEnroe’s comments after reaching the third round of Wimbledon.
Avoid saying the same tennis player as me quiz
“Look, you know, John has a complete right to say – anybody, really, in the world has a right to say what they want, and I respect that right,” he said.
“Especially coming from John, because he’s someone who has earned that right because of who he is and what he has meant to the sport and what he still, you know, is representing as a former player and still being very active on the tour.
“And he’s very well known for his, you know, kind of bold comments and not really caring too much about being politically correct but saying whatever is on his mind.
“That’s all I can say. I really don’t take anything personal.
“I always got along very well with John.”
Djokovic was able to brush off McEnroe’s comments, but how far did he go at Wimbledon eight years ago?
Did Novak Djokovic win Wimbledon in 2017?
The Serb made a strong start at SW19, reaching the quarterfinals without dropping a set.
- 2017 Wimbledon 1R – Novak Djokovic defeated Martin Klizan, 6-3, 2-0 (RET)
- 2017 Wimbledon 2R – Novak Djokovic defeated Adam Pavlasek, 6-2, 6-2, 6-1
- 2017 Wimbledon 3R – Novak Djokovic defeated Ernest Gulbis, 6-4, 6-1, 7-6
- 2017 Wimbledon 4R – Novak Djokovic defeated Adrian Mannarino, 6-2, 7-6, 6-4
There, he met Czechia’s Tomas Berdych, a former Wimbledon finalist.
Berdych won a tight first set in a tiebreaker, 7-6 (7-2), as he edged closer to a place in the last four.
Unfortunately for Djokovic, he was unable to fight back, retiring two games into the second set with an elbow injury.
During his post-match press conference, Djokovic updated fans on his fitness, suggesting he may need surgery to fix the problem.
“I haven’t felt this much pain since I’ve had this injury,” he said.
“It’s not the shoulder, it’s the elbow that has kept bothering me for over a year and a half.
“I’m going to talk with specialists, as I have done in the last year, to try to figure out what’s the best way to treat it and find a long-term solution.”
Djokovic missed the remainder of his 2017 season due to injury before making his return in January 2018.
He won the fourth of his seven Wimbledon titles later that year and finished 2018 ranked number one in the world.
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