Defending champion Novak Djokovic enjoyed a winning French Open start under new coach Andre Agassi on Monday, cruising past Spain’s Marcel Granollers 6-3 6-4 6-2 in the first round.
The 12-time grand slam champion parted company with his entire coaching team earlier this month before inviting American great Andre Agassi to work with him during the French Open.
The 30-year-old Serbian, without a tour title since January, found little resistance from Granollers, grabbing two breaks early on in the first set as he chased the 77th-ranked around the court.
It was a similar story early in the second set with the world number two returning everything Granollers tried to throw at him, as he went 4-1 up before a wobble saw him fail to convert eight set points at 5-3.
Djokovic kept his cool to earn the second set and pounced on the Spaniards’ accumulating mistakes in the third set to seal victory on his first match point.
‘I had to change something’
Novak Djokovic says the decision to begin working with Agassi came after he realised something had to change if he was to maintain a level of success throughout his career.
Djokovic admitted the need to rediscover his spark after some disappointing results this year, including a second-round exit at the Australian Open.
“Last year, I started to feel I had to change something,” Djokovic told French sports daily L’Equipe. He continued, “My body was changing, too. […] Even if I feel fit, young and I take care of my body, I am 30-years-old now.”
The champion parted ways with Boris Becker in December and mentor Marian Vajda earlier this month. He said it did not take much time to feel a new vibe with Agassi.
“I connected with him very quickly. I saw that there were similarities in the ways we think,” Djokovic said, citing “different approach in terms of energy management” and exploring “new things” as his rationales. (Reuters)
