‘Andy Murray will either get too much credit or too much blame in Novak Djokovic partnership’

Andy Roddick believes Andy Murray will either receive too much credit or blame depending on the success of his coach-player collaboration with Novak Djokovic.
The 2003 US Open champion also argued Djokovic hiring Murray “makes sense in so many ways” because he thinks there are few people who the Serb “respects enough to actually consider their opinions.”
In the opening round of the 2025 Australian Open, Djokovic recovered from a set down to defeat 19-year-old American Nishesh Basavareddy in four sets. It was the 37-year-old legend’s first match with Murray in his coaching box.
Djokovic and Murray, two former rivals who contested 36 matches, shocked the tennis world in November when they announced they had joined forces.
Murray, a three-time Grand Slam winner and former world No 1, brought the curtain down on his glittering playing career at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Djokovic is seeking a record-extending 11th Australian Open crown and 25th major overall in Melbourne, where he is the seventh seed.
Former world No 1 Roddick, who played Murray 11 times and Djokovic nine times before retiring in 2012, made an interesting prediction about the partnership.
“Here’s what I think is going to happen: If Novak does really well, we’re going to give Andy Murray – who I think has one of the highest tennis IQs ever – too much credit,” the 32-time ATP titlist told Betway. “And if something weird happens, we’re going to give Murray too much blame.
“Novak’s not going to change too much from what has got him to 24 Slams and 10 titles in Australia.
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“It’s as simple as this – there are very few people that Novak can sit across from at dinner and talk about tennis and strategy, who understand the moment and what he’s trying to do, and whose brain he respects enough to actually consider their opinions. I think Andy Murray is one of those few, so it makes sense in so many ways.
“The common ground with both is that there was never any stone left unturned. They’re both still extremely curious, despite all their successes. It does help that they’ve known each other for so long.
“I worked with Jimmy Connors and we didn’t know each other before we got together, and while it was a super beneficial relationship, there was this ice-breaking part of it. They can just skip right over that, which is a massive benefit for Novak at this point in his career.
“I’m not ever going to undersell anyone making the semis of a Grand Slam, because I know that’s really hard, but I don’t think Novak is playing for quarter-finals now. He might play great and lose, but he won’t leave saying: ‘Well, we did our best.’
“Having Tomas Machac and Reilly Opelka in his part of the draw is brutal, and with Alcaraz potentially in the quarter-finals it doesn’t get any easier. But as my friend Paul Annacone says, you write the greats off at your own peril.”
Djokovic will face 21-year-old Portuguese qualifier Jaime Faria in the second round of the hard-court Grand Slam event on Wednesday.