"It’s always a pleasure to watch Novak Djokovic at his craft" - Andre Agassi after seeing his ex-protege in action at Australian Open 1R

Andre Agassi recently had the opportunity to observe World No. 1 Novak Djokovic in action at the Australian Open. Djokovic faced off against Dino Prizmic in the first round and secured victory with a scoreline of 6-2, 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-4 in an epic four-hour contest.

Despite being a newcomer to Grand Slam tournaments, Prizmic held his own remarkably well, saving six match points before Djokovic clinched the win. The Serb will next face Alexei Popyrin in the second round of the 2024 Australian Open on January 17th.

Andre Agassi, who coached Djokovic between 2017 and 2018, carefully observed Djokovic's strategic prowess and endurance during his intense first-round showdown at the Australian Open. The American former World No. 1 shared his thoughts on Djokovic's performance during a conversation with Eurosport's Barbara Schett.

Agassi couldn't help but admire Djokovic's standout performance, suggesting that the Serb's game was unique and expressing hope that he'd grace the courts for years to come.

"It’s always a pleasure to watch him at his craft. Only he can do it the way he does it and it’s a pleasure for all of us to see it happening. Hopefully, he’ll stick around for a while."

Novak Djokovic is aiming for his 11th Australian Open title this year. Reflecting on Djokovic's impressive record, Agassi shared his genuine respect for the triumphs of his former protege.

"He keeps rewriting all the records, even his own. Here he is, 36, and it looks to me like he’s going on 31. He’ll have a few more years as well."

Agassi, who won the Australian Open four times, recalled his coaching days with Djokovic and expressed admiration for him both as a player and a person.

"He’s a good man and it was nice to see him after the match as well."

Agassi also spoke about the moment when he encouraged Djokovic from the stands during the match, leading to a light exchange between the two.

"He hit a return and I was encouraging him to do more of it. Finally... he needed to be away from me for a few years," Agassi added humorously.

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"This tournament turned out to be my most successful stop" - Andre Agassi opens up on his dominance at the Australian Open

Andre Agassi (R) with his rival Pete Sampras

In the same interview with Eurosport, Andre Agassi opened up about his remarkable journey at the Australian Open, a tournament he once avoided but eventually came to dominate.

Agassi's absence from the Australian Open for the first nine years of his career was a topic of much curiosity. The American candidly expressed regret over this decision as the Australian Open ultimately became the most rewarding tournament stop in his career.

"Tennis was something I struggled with in a lot of ways back then. I’m regretful of it because this tournament turned out to be my most successful stop."

Reflecting on his initial hesitation, Agassi said:

"I skipped this tournament for nine years and then when I came down I wasn’t sure how I was going to be received."

Agassi added that his 1995 final against Pete Sampras, a fellow American and long-time rival, was an unforgettable highlight of his Australian Open journey.

"I remember winning it in four, pretty much not losing my serve the whole tournament till the first set in the final, and sure enough, Pete was the first one to break me."

The former World No. 1 vividly described the intensity of the match, especially the critical third-set tiebreaker.

"I managed to turn it around with an epic third-set tiebreaker, where I was down two set points. I hit some kind of low percentage return, got away with it, and managed to get through the third and finish it off in the fourth," he said.