Andre Agassi gives his verdict on Novak Djokovic hiring Andy Murray
Andre Agassi has shared his opinion on the unexpected player-coach collaboration between Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray.
The former world No 1 believes Djokovic and Murray will have “a lot of trust immediately” because of their history as competitors.
Djokovic and Murray generated one of the biggest stories of the 2024 tennis season when they announced they would be joining forces last month.
“I am excited to have one of my greatest rivals on the same side of the net, as my coach,” the 37-year-old Serbian said in a video announcing the news.
“Looking forward to start of the season and competing in Australia alongside Andy with whom I have shared many exceptional moments on the Australian soil.
“We played each other since we were boys, 25 years of pushing each other to our limits. We had some of the most epic battles in our sport. They called us game changers, risk takers, history makers.
“I thought our story may be over. Turns out it has one final chapter. It’s time for one of my toughest opponents to step into my corner. Welcome aboard, coach Andy Murray.”
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Murray, who retired from tennis after this year’s Paris Olympics, said: “I’m going to be joining Novak’s team in the off-season, helping him to prepare for the Australian Open.
“I’m really excited for it and looking forward to spending time on the same side of the net as Novak for a change, helping him to achieve his goals.”
Agassi, who coached Djokovic in 2017 and 2018, was asked about the partnership between the two former world No 1s at the TiE summit in Bengaluru.
“In any coach-student relationship, you need trust and trust can take time, but it’s nice when it starts with believing in somebody because you know that they know your experience,” the eight-time major champion said.
“There’s an asset to their history as competitors. Any success of a relationship is based on complete buy-in and that’s always the part you have to wait and see.
“It’s not what I know that changes your career, information doesn’t lead to transformation, somebody has to counter that. That’s the connector.
“I’m sure there’s going to be a lot of trust immediately, we’ll see how the results go.”
Djokovic and Murray faced off 36 times between 2006 and 2017, with the Serbian holding a 25-11 advantage.
Murray is not expected to join Djokovic at the Brisbane International, which will be the tennis icon’s first event of the 2025 season.
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