Andre Agassi is helping Grigor Dimitrov both on and off the court

WATCH—Dimitrov, others answer questions at IMG party in Melbourne:

Grigor Dimitrov says he's learning a lot from Andre Agassi, both on and off the court.

The Bulgarian won his first match at the Australian Open and appears to be playing much better than he did for most of 2018. Dimitrov won the ATP Finals in 2017, but he then had a poor season and brought on Agassi before the Paris Masters.

“He's done so much outside of the court. I'm just a better person, period. On a daily basis, I have learned something new from him," Dimitrov said. "Sometimes some of the things that he says, it has nothing to do with tennis. And today before the match we are talking about completely different stuff. I was, like, 'Oh, that feels nice.' He's just trying to remind you of the good things.

"Of course on the court when we are together, we are really zoomed in, very focused. He's super intense on the court. We are on the same page. That's really important. But the biggest thing that stands out is that I'm learning something every single day.”

Dani Vallverdu is still his main coach, and he was the one that suggested adding Agassi to the team. According to Dimitrov, there have been no problems with communication.

“Everybody has to agree, too. Even if I want someone, it has to be pretty mutual,” Dimitrov said. “I haven't thought about it that way, till now. It doesn't hurt to reach out, simple as that, or just seek help in any way that you could possibly think you need.

"The decision was made purely because the team, we really wanted to improve, wanted to add something, to maximize our potential on every corner. I think reaching out was the right thing, going in the right path right now."

The No. 21 seed will face Pablo Cuevas for a spot in the third round.

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