"Novak Djokovic looks very pissed off at times" - Andre Agassi delves deeper into Serb's on-court persona and ability to win

Andre Agassi recently explored Novak Djokovic’s fierce on-court personality and hailed the Serb for constantly finding ways to turn the corner in the face of defeat.

Novak Djokovic’s varying personality on and off the court has polarized the tennis community over the years. In hopes of cracking the code, several psychologists have also studied the World No. 1’s mindset during his matches and his ability to win.

Eight-time Grand Slam champion Andre Agassi, who coached Djokovic from 2017-2018, recently gave his thoughts on the origin of the Serb’s fighting spirit.

“He is incredible and interesting and, as we all are, a complicated person. But, you know, a lot of things come from a good place in him,” the American legend said during his appearance on the Pat McAfee show on November 8 (2:37:00).

“The torture part of all of us as athletes, we are all kind of tortured perfectionists on one level; we all have our process to get the best of ourselves. And Novak, based on just the life that he grew up, and what he knows, the environment that surrounds his entire upbringing and where he is from – he likes a good fight,” Andre Agassi added.

The American indicated that Novak Djokovic taps into his warrior side by fixating on a target, whether it is himself, or his opponent, or a spectator in the crowd.

“Sometimes he fights with himself, at other times the fight is with his opponent, and at other times, with one person in a 20,000-seat stadium. Doesn’t matter where the fight comes from. There’s something about tapping in to his warrior side,” Agassi said.

Andre Agassi also explained how the crowd’s enthused reaction to Djokovic being two sets down in matches plays into the Serb’s hands.

“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 lose, 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,” he said.

The American added that while Djokovic's methods of reviving himself are questionable, he deserves praise for managing to save the day time and again.

“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,” Agassi said.

It is worth noting that Novak Djokovic has recovered from two sets to love down a staggering eight times in his career, with four of those encounters coming in the past two years.

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"What Novak Djokovic did this year is remarkable" – Andre Agassi on Serb's 2023 season

Novak Djokovic (L) and Andre Agassi at the 2017 French Open

Novak Djokovic produced some age-defying results this year, which has led to one of the best seasons of his career. The Serb has featured in the finals of all four Grand Slams, winning three of those – the Australian Open, the French Open and the US Open.

The World No. 1 has collected three other titles, at the Adelaide International 1, the Cincinnati Masters and the Paris Masters. In that context, Andre Agassi hailed Djokovic's unceasing dominance on tour.

“What he did this year is remarkable, but it’s probably no different than he’s gonna do next year or last year. He is the guy to beat,” he said on the Pat McAfee show.

The Serb also created an Open Era record of the highest number of Grand Slams won by a player, man or woman, by lifting his 24th title at the US Open.

“You know, when I was with him, he had 12 Slams. And I said without a shadow of a doubt, if this guy doesn’t end at the north of 20 Slams, honestly, you can consider it a failure. Because what he is capable of doing is absolutely remarkable on the tennis court,” Andre Agassi said of the World No. 1’s feat.

Novak Djokovic will next be vying for his seventh ATP Finals title at the upcoming year-end championships in Turin (November 12-19).