Steffi stepped in after Agassi said ‘no’ to Djokovic

PARIS: Andre Agassi revealed on Thursday that his wife and fellow tennis legend Steffi Graf encouraged him to become Novak Djokovic’s new coach after he had originally turned down the job.

The 47-year-old Agassi will work with Djokovic at the forthcoming French Open where the Serbian star is the defending champion.

But the eight-time Grand Slam title winner, who has kept his distance from professional tennis since retiring in 2006, said he will only be here for a few rounds and that the partnership with Djokovic will not be a full-time post.

“Novak called me about three weeks ago and I said no at the start,” Agassi, the 1999 Roland Garros champion, told French television programme Tout le Sport.

“But my wife (Steffi Graf) said ‘you should go, you will love it’. We had organised a family trip during Roland Garros anyway which was planned for a long time.

“So I hope to see one or two of Novak’s matches and try to bring to him what I can because even a small remark can do a lot.

“What I know, with certainty, is that he can be even better than yesterday. I think he can only improve, because he understands how strong he is.”

Agassi and Djokovic practiced for the first time at Roland Garros on Thursday but the American insisted that he was not in the market for a full-time job.

“The only agreement we have is for Paris, and given our discussions, it’s not a full-time job for me,” he added.