The Book Club, Part 3: Do Djokovic and Agassi make a dream team?

The Book Club returns for Roland Garros. Steve Tignor talked with Carole Bouchard, a freelance tennis writer based in France, about her new book, “The Quest,” which covers Novak Djokovic’s career-long chase to win Roland Garros.

Part 1 of our conversation, which explains the origins of the book, can be read here. Part 2, which looks at how Djokovic finally became a French Open champ, can be read here.

Carole,

I can't say I predicted a down period for Novak Djokovic after his Paris win last year, but I did wonder what there was left for him as far as immediate goals went. He had won all the big tournaments, and just as important, he had triumphed over all of his big rivals. The objective that had kept him going for five years, winning RG, was suddenly gone.

Which brings me to today, and how Novak will approach his return to Roland Garros. I thought it was promising that, in Rome, he admitted that he wasn't playing his best, but that this meant there was room for improvement. Still, his loss to Alexander Zverev in the final should also remind us that the improvement might take a while. The match made me think of Rafael Nadal's loss to Andy Murray in the 2015 Madrid final. Rafa had been in a slump; he briefly looked ready to come out of it, and then he threw in an absolute clunker against Murray. It's not so easy, even for the top guys, to find their old form again once they lose it.

So I'm not picking Djokovic to repeat in Paris, but I do think his new partnership with Andre Agassi has major potential. You have some interesting sections in your book about Andre and Novak, and the parallels between them. I hadn't made the connection before between Agassi's late-career French Open win in 1999 and Djokovic's in 2016, but it makes sense that Novak would relate himself to Andre. When Djokovic says things like, "I know that life is challenging me and allowing me to have these opportunities to grow," I feel like I'm back in an Agassi press conference circa 2001.

The partnership makes sense. Agassi, unlike a lot of top athletes, is articulate about the details of the game, and he loves to talk about them. He has gone up against Roger Federer and Nadal, even though it was a decade ago. He and Djokovic play similar styles, which makes me think that, unlike Boris Becker, Agassi will focus on Djokovic's strengths.

Maybe most important, Agassi was one of the guys who showed that you can stay at the top into your 30s. While Andre is famous for how much he has matured over the years, he still likes to banter and trash talk. I think he'll bring a jolt of upbeat energy to the Djokovic camp.

What do you think of Team Djokassi? I heard you were excited about the announcement.

Steve,

Novak really had a great week in Rome, except in the final. He played some vintage "cosmic tennis" out there, but as you said, it's going to take a little while for everything to click—especially as long as he's a bit lower in confidence than he used to be. But that could change quickly. Between Madrid and Rome, those have to be the first times this year where I've seen Djokovic that pumped up on a tennis court, roaring and all. His match against Dominic Thiem in Italy was a master class.

Yes, I was very happy to hear Novak say in Rome that Agassi was in. It's just one of those associations that yells "dream team" to me. It makes so much sense. It's like tennis-history fiction becoming reality. And I had those talks, also with Darren Cahill in the book, about the similarities between Novak and Andre, so it was a bit surreal for them to come together.

It's funny because I've always tied Djokovic to Agassi. When he arrived on tour, I used to call him “Baby Agassi” or “Agassi 2.0.” Now I'm sorry, haha! I had the chance back in 2011 to say that to Agassi in Paris: He laughed and said, “No, he's better.” But obviously both see the similarities, not only between their games—the ball is taken so early, probably the best two returns of serve ever, amazing backhands down the line—but also between their mindset, this kind of spiritual quest.

As you said, you hear Novak talk and you hear Agassi talk, and you're like, "Wait..." Novak said at Roland Garros this past week that he felt like they knew each other for a long time, that they were clicking naturally, and I'm really not surprised. Maybe it's also easier for Novak to explain these recent motivation struggles to someone who went so down and still came back. Never forget how much of a sponge Novak is. Great combo.

I agree that Becker didn't focus on Novak's strengths, but he was brought there to solve his serve and his net game, and also to unlock that mental strength again in the Grand Slam finals. He succeeded greatly. Now I think it's the perfect time for someone like Agassi to come and remind Novak of his chore: being the great shot-maker he's always been; being ruthless; going for his shots and taking his chances; trusting his instincts a bit more; putting the warrior back on court and keeping his head in the game. Also, maybe bringing back some fun into the mix, forgetting about the stakes and the pressure.

Agassi, for Djokovic, is an exciting challenge and voice. Whatever their deal ends being—we all know it won't be full-time, but for sure they could agree on the Grand Slams and a few others—it's a huge breath of fresh air in Novak's career. You can already see it in Novak's practices: He looks happier and way less nervous, not thinking and thinking and thinking. And he's into these sessions from the first minute to the last.

And seeing Agassi back on a court is such a blessing that I feel we all should thank Djokovic for convincing him. You should have seen those two hitting together on Chatrier this past weekend. The greats have their own language, there's no doubt. But I hope they'll have the time to make it work, as people shouldn't start expecting miracles right away. Becker and Djokovic took months to really click.

Long live Djokassi, please.

Tennis Channel's Daily Serve recaps Day 3 at Roland Garros:

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