Next turns to Now: On Zverev’s Rome title, Djokovic’s big Agassi news

As he walked onto center court at the Foro Italico on Sunday, Novak Djokovic flashed the fans a smile and a thumbs up. Order, it seemed, had been restored in the former No. 1’s world.

After floundering through much of 2017, he had put together his best three-day stretch of tennis in close to a year. On Friday and Saturday, he beat Juan Martin del Potro in straight sets, then blitzed Dominic Thiem 6-1, 6-0, 24 hours after Thiem had knocked out Rafael Nadal. Now Djokovic faced, in Alexander Zverev, a 20-year-old who was playing in his first Masters 1000 final, and who probably wasn’t expecting to win. What could go wrong for Nole?

Pretty much everything, it turned out. Rather than begin with the confidence of a four-time champion in Rome, it was Djokovic who looked like the rookie. He was hesitant, he was tight, he was flat and he was missing all the shots he’d been making this week. The edge he had shown in his emotions, and the freedom he had shown in his play, were nowhere to be found. Djokovic double-faulted in the opening game, was broken and was never in the match.

Instead, it was Zverev who played with the poise of a seasoned champion: Over the course of his startlingly routine 6-4, 6-3 win, the ATP’s Next turned to Now. Zverev took the opening Djokovic gave him at the start and ran with it. He broke for 1-0 with a big forehand return of serve, and held for 2-0 with an ace. In those moments, the pattern for the match was set. Zverev was opportunistic from the ground, and he used his serve to snuff out any hint of trouble.

Zverev’s depth off his forehand and backhand was notable, and I liked the way he varied his court position and pace from one shot to the next. After hitting a looping forehand from well behind the baseline, he would ghost forward and crack his next backhand from five feet farther up in the court.

That backhand is the game-changing shot for Zverev. Unlike, say, Nick Kyrgios, Zverev uses his as a second forehand, as a way to create openings rather than just get the ball back in play. On Sunday, he moved Djokovic wide with his crosscourt backhand, then finished points with the same shot down the line. That’s something most players can only do from the forehand side.

“I just couldn’t find any rhythm,” Djokovic said. Zverev never let him find one.

Serving at 5-4 in the first, Zverev didn’t need to worry about nerves; he hit two aces and a service winner for the set. And he didn’t need to worry about a rally from Djokovic, either. At 1-1 in the second set, Djokovic was broken when he hit a regulation forehand into the net. At match point on his serve, he sent an equally easy backhand sailing over the baseline. He couldn’t even make the Masters final rookie serve it out.

If he had, though, it’s hard to imagine that Zverev wouldn’t have succeeded. He was the better server and returner, and the more aggressive and consistent ground-stroker. In the process, he showed that the combination of his bailout serve, his depth of shot, his ability to hit winners from well behind the baseline and his skill at varying his court position will make him a formidable new force. With this 6-4, 6-3 win, Zverev becomes the youngest Masters 1000 champion since Djokovic did it at 19 in 2007. It also launches him into the Top 10 for the first time.

“If I have half the career that Novak has,” Zverev said afterward, “I’ll be fine.”

The big shots, the tall frame, the throwback hair, the easy smile, the humble words: Zverev, who has spent his life on tour, looks and sounds ready for his star turn.

From the Djokovic side of the net, this match reminded me of Rafael Nadal’s loss to Andy Murray in the 2015 Madrid final. Like Djokovic, Rafa was in a slump at the time, and even his return to clay hadn’t been enough to bring him out of it. He had lost in the semis in Monte Carlo, and in the third round in Barcelona to Fabio Fognini. But Nadal had looked better in Madrid, and it seemed likely that a title there would get him back on track for the French Open.

Instead, Nadal came out and laid an egg against Murray; as with Djokovic, a bad start only led to a worse end for Rafa, who lost 6-3, 6-2, and went on to lose his first match at Roland Garros in five years. The lesson would seem to be that when a player—even a top player—gets into a slump, getting out of it, all the way out of it, takes time.

But Djokovic did something after this loss that, he hopes, will speed up that process. He announced that he and Andre Agassi will meet this week in Paris with an eye toward forging a coaching partnership.

“He’s been through everything I’m going through,” Djokovic said of Agassi, while praising the American’s ability to analyze the game. “I’ve been enjoying the conversations with him.”

This would seem to be a natural partnership. As Djokovic says, Agassi knows what it’s like to play big matches; he knows what it’s like to negotiate the ups and downs of a career; and he knows what it’s like to try to find the motivation needed to compete deep into your 30s.

Just as important, Agassi’s playing style was similar to Djokovic’s. Like the Serb, he was a clinical baseliner with a two-handed backhand whose biggest weapon was his return rather than his serve. And like the Serb, Agassi was never sure of himself around the net. In that sense, I wouldn’t expect Agassi to try, the way Boris Becker did, to get Djokovic to move forward more or add new elements to his game. I’d expect him to try to get Djokovic to focus on his strengths, because they’re largely the same strengths that Agassi had.

For an ex-champion, Agassi is unusually articulate about the details of the spirt, which should also be a plus. And while he has made himself into a highly respected figure away from the court, Agassi likes the trash-talking banter that goes with the game. He should challenge Djokovic and bring a positive jolt of energy to his camp and his life.

One thing Djokovic knows after working with Becker, and seeing Ivan Lendl’s success with Murray and Carlos Moya’s success with Nadal: Celebrity coaches work.

Just being able to announce that he has one, and to put this loss to Zverev behind him as quickly as possible, is a good start.

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