Former world no.1 Novak Djokovic has been horrible in 2017. So far the Serb has just managed to win one tournament this year, the Qatar Open, and this was his only appearance in a final in 2017. He got eliminated in the second round of the Australian Open, the quarter-finals of the Mexican Open and Monte Carlo Masters and the round of 16 at the Indian wells.
The Serb has just not been able to find his best form this tennis season and he made a huge decision to part ways with three members of his coaching staff as he looks to get his career back on track and hopefully end the year on a high.
Also read: Novak Djokovic excited about next chapter in career, says he will not rush in selecting new coach
Prior to the start of the Madrid Open, his first tournament since parting ways with his coach, Djokovic hinted that his next coach will be a big name.
"It's going to be someone that has been through similar experiences like I have. Not too many people in the past of tennis have managed to get to that stage and play at that level, so I'll see," ATP's official website quoted Djokovic as saying.
Edoardo Artaldi, who is Djokovic's agent said: "At this point there is no name to be singled out as this is just an initial stage of discussion with interested parties."
With all the talks going around about who could be Djokovic's next coach, the first name that has come up is tennis legend and former world no.1 Andre Agassi. Djokovic is currently in a similar situation as Agassi was in 1997 when he lost his world no.1 ranking but in 1999 he rediscovered his form and reclaimed the top spot and won five more major titles.
Should the two eventually link up, Djokovic will be hoping Agassi can help him rediscover his best form that helped him dominate men's tennis. However, during a recent interview Agassi was asked if he would consider returning to the tour, perhaps as coach of Nick Kyrgios and he said: "I would not have any room now with my kids, who are 15 and 13. So the answer is no. I couldn't do it the way I would need to do it."
However, Djokovic could offer Agassi the option of a consultant-type head coach role, which might involve only 10 to 12 weeks a year on the road. This would be a similar arrangement to what current world no.1 Andy Murray has with Ivan Lendl. Murray mostly relies on Jamie Delgado for his day to day training but turns to Lendl for consultancy.
Agassi still has to comment on this since the rumour came up but Djokovic said he will think thoroughly about it before deciding on his next coach. He also mentioned that he would not be without a coach for too long. So you could expect him to announce his next coach before the French Open starts as he will want to defend his title.
