Former World No. 1 Andre Agassi and former coach of Serbian superstar Novak Djokovic has finally opened up about his split with the 12-time Grand Slam champion.
Agassi blamed Djokovic for the end of their coach-player relationship as Djokovic never listened to his advice. The American claimed Djokovic was too stubborn to change his approach to solving his long-standing problem – his right elbow injury. Agassi, in fact, accused Djokovic of being stubborn, which he said was the prime reason behind his recent struggles on the court.
“I only knew him with a hurt elbow, so it was always plasters and big problems,” Agassi told Guardian. “I think there was a real hope his elbow could heal naturally, holistically. I personally wasn’t a fan of that choice. You can’t force someone when it comes to their own body, you have to understand their hesitations, but health is a function of taking care of your body, making the hard decisions, giving yourself the time and then moving forward methodically. Rest wasn’t going to do it in my estimation.
“When I saw the results of his MRIs in August, I was very clear with him: I advocated surgery right away, because that could end the issue once and for all.”
“I think his learning curves could be quicker but they have to be his,” Agassi said. “He’s just that kind of guy – he needs ownership over his own process. So if he’s not having the energy or the strength, that’s something he’ll figure out on his own. I’ve always believed in strength training, I’ve always believed in eating a healthy range and a quantity of protein. But for years, he did it his own way.
“You get to a point where if you’re not part of the solution you’re part of the problem. We agreed to disagree far too often for me to feel like I was helping him, and I cared too much about him to just watch him go through something I felt I could help him with.”
