Andy Murray backed to ‘remind’ Novak Djokovic of his fear factor as new coach
Andy Murray’s former coach believes the Brit will be able to “remind” Novak Djokovic of what the Serbian’s opponents feel when they face him.
Djokovic confirmed on Saturday that he would be working with Murray during the off-season and the 2025 Australian Open, in an announcement that has taken the sport by surprise.
Former world No 1 Murray, 37, only retired from the sport this August and was among Djokovic’s key rivals during his career.
The pair met 36 times, with Djokovic leading the head-to-head 25-11.
Only Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer have been more frequent opponents for the 24-time Grand Slam winner than Djokovic, who did not lift a major title in 2024.
Speaking to BBC Sport, Murray’s ex-coach and former doubles star Jamie Delgado suggested that the Brit would be able to lean on his own experiences playing Djokovic to help the Serbian.
“Andy’s very sharp with the data side of things and the strategy,” said Delgado.
“You have got to remember that Andy has played against Novak many times, so he will know and express to Novak what makes him so difficult to play against, remind him of those things that his opponents will be feeling when they play against him.
“Novak has now got different rivals in front of him – Sinner and Alcaraz – and Andy’s played these guys himself, so in terms of getting that final few per cent to make a difference in matches from a strategy point of view, you would be hard pushed to find someone better than Andy.”
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Born just one week apart in May 1987, Djokovic and Murray were close friends during their junior careers – playing for the first time when they were just 11 years old.
The pair famously teamed up to play men’s doubles at the 2006 Australian Open when they were still teenagers, though would go on to face each other in some of the biggest matches in tennis.
Djokovic famously beat Murray in four Australian Open finals and also defeated his rival in the 2016 French Open final to complete the career Grand Slam.
However, Murray also had some success against his fellow former world No 1, beating him in the 2012 US Open and 2013 Wimbledon finals.
While their relationship naturally cooled during the peak of their powers, Delgado believes there has always been a huge mutual respect between the two.
He added: “They always got on well, but I don’t think it would have been as close as it maybe was when they were younger – or it would be now.
“There was just so much on the line. But they had immense respect for each other.
“Andy always spoke so highly of his [Djokovic’s] game and how difficult it was to play against him. The respect was sky high.”
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