Andy Murray’s fascinating Novak Djokovic comment in 2006 revealed by ex-coach Brad Gilbert
Legendary tennis coach Brad Gilbert has revealed a memorable and telling comment Andy Murray made about Novak Djokovic 18 years ago.
The American coached a young Andy Murray between July 2006 and November 2007 and helped the British star break into the top 10 for the first time.
Murray brought the curtain down on his glittering career following his appearance at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris in August.
Less than four months after his retirement, it was announced that Murray would be making a quick return to the tour as Djokovic‘s coach.
Murray lost to Djokovic more times than any other player, having amassed an 11-25 record against the Serbian between 2006 and 2017. The pair faced off in 10 Grand Slam matches, including seven major finals.
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In an interview with ATPTour.com, Gilbert recalled Murray’s definitive response when he asked the Brit which opponents troubled him the most in 2006.
“I remember him saying, ‘None of those guys matter, it’s only Novak’,” the American divulged.
Gilbert then weighed in on the Murray-Djokovic coach-player collaboration.
“I kind of sensed that Novak was going to do something,” he said.
“You didn’t know what he was going to do, but you kind of sensed that he probably needed something, and something to motivate him. And obviously he goes way back with Andy.
“Andy knows a lot about Novak, knows a lot about the players who Novak is going to be chasing.
“But I think more than anything, where Novak is, you’ve got these two huge, young guys now (Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz) who have just really elevated and I think Novak probably feels like he needs a little bit, and I think most importantly, needs that motivation.
“The first thing I’ll want to do when I’m in Australia is just go watch Murray and Novak practise. It will be interesting, do they practise together? Is he practising with a practice partner?
“And if I notice anything different early in the first round. As a coach myself and a former player, I’m kind of fascinated seeing if there is something different right away.”
Gilbert, a former world No 4, has coached three players to Grand Slam titles: Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick and Coco Gauff.
Like Murray, Gilbert made a swift transition from player to coach, having joined forces with Agassi in 1994 when still active on the tour.
“You’re the coach, looking through the lens of the player who you’re coaching,” the 63-year-old explained.
“I was like, ‘I would do X, Y and Z, but Andre plays nothing like me, so I can’t think about what I would do. I have to think about what Andre needed to do’.”
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