Agassi feels Djokovic can make a 'comeback in a hurry'
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Andre Agassi believes that Novak Djokovic can leave his second-round Australian Open loss against Denis Istomin behind him and make a quick turnaround due to his natural talent. Andy Murray also defended the 'phenomenal' Serb stating that he deserves a break from all the critics after the loss.
The six-time Australian Open champion appeared a pale shadow of his former self as he lost 7-6(8), 5-7, 2-6, 7-6(5), 6-4 to the World No. 117 Denis Istomin, a result that has been described as a ‘titanic upset’ by tennis pundits.
But Agassi feels that this is just a passing phase in the Serb’s career and that he will soon take the world by storm again.
"What I can speak to is Novak's game and his abilities and there's no reason in the world why he can't turn it around. In my opinion, (he is) one of the greats of all time so I give him a high chance of coming back in a hurry,” Agassi said as reported by Reuters.
Calling the Serb as one of the all-time greats, Agassi said that he was surprised when Djokovic lost a game in tennis.
"I've celebrated Novak's accomplishments to the point of predicting he's going to win everything and the truth is it's always a surprise when he loses," added the 46-year-old.
"I think everyone needs to give him a bit of a break. It is hard to keep up the intensity week after week, that's why everyone has been so impressed by the group of players at the top of the game over the last few years," Murray wrote in his column on the BBC website.
"I think the players themselves are a lot more understanding, as we know how difficult it is and how incredible the consistency has been over the last few years. It's almost inevitable it will drop off at some point.
"If you compare it to every other tennis player in the world, his last 12-18 months have been phenomenal," wrote Murray.
"Everyone was surprised by Novak's exit in Melbourne, for sure. But out of the last few Grand Slams, he made the final of the US Open, the third round at Wimbledon and won the French Open.
"Every single player on the Tour, bar one or two, would sign up for those results. When you compare it to what his standards are, he'll probably be disappointed. But if you compare it to every other tennis player in the world, his last 12-18 months have been phenomenal," concluded Murray.
