Former British number one Greg Rusedski has described Novak Djokovic and new coach Andre Agassi as "the perfect match-up".
After weeks of speculation, Djokovic confirmed on Sunday that Agassi had agreed to link up with him, just weeks after he axed his entire support team in a bid to halt what has become something of a slump.
Eight-time Grand Slam champion Agassi has already been advising Djokovic over the phone for the past fortnight and Rusedski says improvements can already been seen – and that more will follow.
Speaking ahead of the French Open, which starts on Sunday, the Eurosport pundit said: “They are two of the greatest returners in the history of the game. They are perfect match-up of personalities and styles. I think it will be great for the game of tennis.
“They’ve not had a catalogue of work yet.
“(Djokovic) is still on the building blocks with a new team around him and I expect him to take great strides.
“He needed to make a change and you saw an immediate impact in Rome where he was more passionate and got to take a step forward.
“He beat Dominic Thiem (for the loss of one game in the semi-finals) in what was his best match of the year.”
The Serb went on to lose the following day’s final to Alexander Zverev, leaving him with just one title – from Doha in January – in 2017. That is a far cry from his 2016 form when he had already captured five titles before completing a career Grand Slam at Roland Garros.
The slump began soon after with Djokovic having since admitted that he struggled for motivation and stopped enjoying the game.
When axing his coaching team, including long-standing coach Marian Vaida, the 12-time Grand Slam champion said he had reverted to “shock therapy” in a bid to find answers.
Djokovic has since turned 30 and Rusedski, who regularly competed against Agassi during the pair's days on the ATP World Tour, feels the decision to change direction could also relate to that fact.
He added: “Obviously when you let go of your whole team, from physio to coach, you want to start afresh.
“I’d expect Andre to bring in a team around Novak and do things a little bit differently.
“What Andre did in his own playing days was maximise the end of his career to its full potential (he won two Grand Slams after turning 30). Perhaps that’s an area he can help with.”
Despite Djokovic's recent improvement - Rusedski also highlighted him playing well for periods during his Madrid Open defeat to Rafael Nadal - the former world number four does not believe he will successfully defend his crown in Paris over the next fortnight.
"Nadal – he is my favourite for Roland Garros," added Rusedski.
"I said after he won in Madrid that I would not be surprised to see him lose in Rome but he’s still the favourite.
"He’s 31 years of age – you can’t win Monte Carlo, Barcelona, Madrid, Rome and Roland Garros.
"Losing in Rome is almost a blessing. He’ll get a few days off, additional preparation and more time in Paris as well.
"He’s the man to beat, he’s playing great."
Asked to pick potential alternative champions, Rusedski mentions in-form young guns Zverev and Thiem but believes it is "a little too early for those guys" in terms of winning a Grand Slam.
Tennis fans can watch every singles and doubles match at Roland Garros with Eurosport and its online service Eurosport Player. Live coverage of qualifying has already begun with the mian draw getting under way on Sunday.
