Agassi believes Djokovic can win French Open only if he can surmount 'Everest' Nadal

Image
ANI Wellington
Last Updated : Feb 28 2015 | 1:42 PM IST

American tennis legend Andre Agassi believes that in-form Novak Djokovic can win the French Open this year, but has warned that if Rafael Nadal, who has been the Mount Everest of Roland Garros, fires again then its going to be difficult.

The French Open is the only title that has eluded Djokovic from completing his career Grand Slam, with 'king of clay' Nadal dominating the Roland Garros.

Had it not been for Nadal, world number one Djokovic would already be part of the elite club of players to have won all four majors, one that Agassi joined when he finally prevailed in the French capital in 1999 against Andriy Medvedev, Stuff.co.nz reported.

Djokovic has been thwarted a chance to complete his career Grand Slam twice by Nadal in the final while in 2013 he lost an epic five-set semifinal.

However, Djokovic's dominant start to the year and Nadal's sluggish return from more injury woes means that the odds are shortening on him ending the Spaniard's dominance on clay, which has earned him a record nine titles in 10 years.

Agassi said that Nadal has been the Mount Everest of Roland Garros and climbing the Spaniard is like climbing Mount Everest without the sherpas and the oxygen. He added that Djokovic has nearly reached the summit of that mountain a couple of times and is no doubt playing at a level above everybody else right now.

Agassi said that Djokovic believes he should win, adding that he believes the Serb can and deserves to but added that the world number one doesn't deserve it if Nadal gets himself right and shows up again like he has.

Agassi said that he would be as excited as anybody to see if Nadal really is going to be vulnerable, insisting that it seems that way now but it's seemed like that before.

*Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Smart Quarterly

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

SAVE 46%
*Complimentary New York Times access for the 2nd year will be given after 12 months

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Exclusive premium stories online

  • Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

First Published: Feb 28 2015 | 1:25 PM IST

Next Story