Andre Agassi: "I’m convinced Novak Djokovic will not beat Father Time, it’s just a question of how long you can postpone it"

Andre Agassi recently spoke to an Australian daily about Novak Djokovic's longevity. The latter has shown no signs of slowing down at 36, but Agassi believes that age will catch up with the Serb soon.

Djokovic won three of the four Major titles last year, as the young generation continued to play second fiddle to him at the big tournaments. The 24-time Major winner is admittedly not afraid of younger players taking over the game.

Agassi, on his part, believes that Djokovic's physical conditioning is bound to deteriorate at some point, which will likely pave the way for the ATP's young crop. However, the American did concede that the 36-year-old could prolong his stay at the top of the rankings for a few more years.

"The only thing I’m absolutely convinced about is Novak will not beat Father Time. It’s just a question of how long you can postpone it," Andre Agassi told The Age and Sydney Morning Herald. "I definitely see a few more years of him being the one that has to be dealt with."

The 53-year-old also questioned the mindset of fans who are skeptical about whether Djokovic will stop winning big titles in the near future.

"How can you say something isn’t possible? Records are meant to be broken, right? Obviously we’re just speculating on so many things, which includes health, and that’s going to start to rear its head," he added.

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"Can't argue with the stats that Novak Djokovic has put on the board" - Andre Agassi on the GOAT debate

Novak Djokovic had enlisted Andre Agassi's services as a coach for some time in 2017

Andre Agassi then showered rich praise on Novak Djokovic for staking his claim on numerous records, including most Major titles won by a male player and most weeks at the World No. 1 position (407 and counting), among other impressive feats.

"You can’t argue with the stats that Novak has put on the board for crying out loud. From the slams, to the number of weeks of No.1," the American said. "There’s so many stats that he is just kind of redefining, you know."

Agassi also spared a few words for Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer — two players that the former World No. 1 had faced during his latter years. While the American insisted that the Swiss maestro's playing style alone gave him an argument for the GOAT debate, he also suggested that the Spanish bull's fighting spirit was unmatched by any other player in tennis history. He said:

"How do you leave Federer out of that conversation and how do you leave [acknowledge] the elegance in which Federer did what he did. With Rafa, I don’t know if tennis has ever seen somebody who competes like that. For me, it’s like what has got me on paper is one thing, but who’s who’s really benefited the game? I think the game has benefited dramatically from all of them. Absolutely."

Novak Djokovic is all set to begin his campaign for a record-extending 11th Australian Open title. The Serb will face Croatian qualifier Dino Prižmić in the first round on Sunday (January 14).