"Andre Agassi's body was breaking down in his 30s, but Novak Djokovic hasn't lost a step at 36" - Jim Courier

Jim Courier recently shared his astonishment that 36-year-old Novak Djokovic continues to perform at the highest level given his age, whereas the eight-time Grand Slam champion Andre Agassi's body was breaking down in his mid-30s.

Talking to the Tennis Channel Inside-In podcast, four-time Grand Slam winner Jim Courier maintained that while former World No. 1 Agassi was "awesome", he struggled to keep fit in his 30s. On the other hand, Novak Djokovic at 36 has been "better than ever".

"36 was the very tail end of a lot of great careers, that lasted a long time. I think of Andre Agassi, my peer, who played into his mid-30s, but his body was breaking down. He still was awesome but not as mobile as he was and Novak [Djokovic] doesn't look like he has lost a step, his defence looks every bit as good. And then this year, his forehand and volleys have been better than ever," Courier said.

"Forehand out of necessity in Australia, volleys in the final of Cincinnati against [Carlos] Alcaraz were out of this world. And he just finds a way to keep fresh and stay sharp and just keep tamping down all these challengers," he added.

Former World No. 1 Courier further spoke about Djokovic's belief in his abilities to push through tough situations and come out on top in the biggest matches.

"He's done it so many times. He has as much big-match experience as any player who has ever played the game, and he has got a lot of trust in himself. That doesn't mean that it's foolproof, because the double faults will happen invariably when you take that much risk, sometimes you're going to crash. But more often than not he's someone who's been able to come through and just continue to trust himself and back himself whenever he's pushed into a corner," said Jim Courier.

The reigning US Open champion Djokovic is currently competing at the 2023 ATP Finals as the top seed. After a loss to fourth seed Jannik Sinner, the Serb defeated Hubert Hurkacz 7-6(1), 4-6, 6-1 in his final group stage game in Turin.

"Novak Djokovic looks very pissed off at times" - Andre Agassi dissects the Serb's ability to win

Novak Djokovic pictured at the 2023 US Open in New York.

Former World No. 1 Andre Agassi recently opined that Novak Djokovic's formidable on-court personality plays a part in his ability to come back from seemingly losing positions.

Eight-time Grand Slam champion Agassi, who coached Djokovic from 2017-2018, explained how jeers from the crowd help the Serb to up his game, especially when he is two sets down.

"Usually when he is down two sets, the crowd is thinking they’re about to see something that they normally wouldn’t ever get to see - which is him losing, so, they start to get a little revved up, they start to cheer his opponent a little bit more. And then he starts to kind of do that locked on mentality of 'You’ve given me a reason now, to go to another gear.' I think, as athletes, we all look for our ways to get into that zone," Agassi said.

The American lauded the 24-time Grand Slam champion's ability to come out on top no matter the situation. Agassi stated:

"Novak’s ways might not always come across as ideal. He looks very pissed off at times - he is trying to find ways to bring out the best in himself, and I give him all the credit in the world for constantly figuring out how to do it"