" In the end, I was most in tune with Agassi" Novak Djokovic quoted in today's Gazzetta dello Sport by @RiccardoCrivel2

Novak, how did the decision to work with Andre come about?

-- During the last two weeks, after the separation from Marian [Vajda, who had been coaching him for the last ten years] I've had telephone conversations with many ex top players. I was interested in an exchange of opinions. They were conversations about a lot of different aspects of the life of a tennis player. Not just technical stuff. In the end, I was most in tune with Agassi.

Why?

-- First of all, our playing styles are very similar. and I was inspired by him. I think that helps. Most of all, Andre's experience is similar to mine, if not worse. He came to reject the sport he loved and fell down below 100 in the rankings after having dominated. But he found himself again, and returned to number one. Because of that, he knows what it takes to pick up the pieces and come back stronger than before. And he revolutionised tennis with his charisma, yet stayed extremely humble.

He'll join you at Roland Garros?

-- Yes, that way we'll finally meet fact-to-face, because we've only been in telephone contact for the last two weeks. He'll follow me for a few days during the tournament while my brother Marko will remain at my side. If things work out with Andre, and I have no doubts that will be the case, we'll programme the future starting at Wimbledon.

At 30, you start to weigh things up. Where in tennis history does Novak Djokovic see himself?

-- That's a question you journalists need to answer. I'll leave the game happy that it's not me judging what I've done and will do. But I can say that being mentioned together with names like Borg, Agassi, Sampras, Federer and Nadal gives me an immense satisfaction. It means that the passion I've had for my sport, combined with the sacrifices, have brought me to a level I could only dream of as a child.

On Sunday you'll be at Roland Garros as the defending champion. A year ago you had the win of a lifetime in Paris, but then the problems started too.

--That's true. That win brought with it two contrasting emotions: on the one hand, it was a happiness I'd never felt before, but on the other, there was a fatigue that suddenly blew me away. There's no doubt that from that moment I performed below my own expectations. And I'm not only talking about results, but also about concentration.

Was there an explanation?

-- I'd lost my emotional balance. I understood that having negative moments is a part of life. What's important is being aware of it. I didn't succeed in bringing to the court the technical and emotional tools that I was using in my preparations. I've lost many times in my career, but one of my strengths is learning to be stronger after a defeat. That's the way I've won at Wimbledon after knowing disappointment at Roland Garros. In the last year, I haven't managed to re-start after being beaten on court.

But you'll arrive in Paris after a loss to Zverev in Rome ...

-- That's true, but I have a different feeling now. Despite having lost in the final in Rome, I definitely freed positive energy. I had good feelings in any case during the entire clay season. Against Thiem in the semis, I played my best match of the last ten months, and that's an optimal base to start from. What's more, Sascha was a great opponent who played better then I did this time.

Is he a future number one?

-- He's showing he has the ability. But I don't hope it happens soon [smiles], because I'm still here and I'm not going to be got rid of that easily. And I think that Nadal, Murray and Federer think the same as me.

Has Djokovic felt fear this last year?

-- Fear isn't a feeling that belongs to me. Or rather, every morning I wake up imagining the best way to get rid of it. And the recipe is simple: I'm passionate about everything I do and particularly about tennis, which remains what I love the most and what I still want to give myself wholly to. After my family, obviously.

How will you reconcile both aspects?

-- Thanks to the education and the values my parents have inculcated me with, and the love of my wife. I'm going to be a father again, and it's an exciting feeling. Stefan [his first born] was with me for the first time in Rome, and that gave me an indescribable feeling.

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