John McEnroe comes up with jovial reason why Andy Murray agreed to coach Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic’s move to hire former rival Andy Murray as his coach for the 2025 Australian Open is one of the more eye-catching moves in sport in recent years – and now tennis legend John McEnroe has come up with an alternative view for the unexpected union.
Djokovic suggested three-time Grand Slam champion Murray was caught off guard when asked to be his new coach, as he explained why he reached out to his old rival to join his team.
“I was going through a process of thinking about next season in the last couple of months,” Djokovic said to Sky Sports at the Qatar Grand Prix.
“I was trying to figure out what I need at this stage of my career, because I stopped with my (former) coach Goran Ivanisevic, who I was very successful with and worked for many years, in March.
“So I took about six months to really think about if I need a coach and, if yes, who that’s going to be and the profile of the coach.
“We were going through names and I realised that the perfect coach for me at this point would be someone who has been through the experiences I am going through, possibly a multiple Grand Slam winner, a former (world) number one.
“I was thinking about different people and a discussion about Andy Murray appeared on the table with me and my team.
“We were like, ‘okay, I’m going to give him a call and see how it goes’. It caught him a little off guard as well because he wasn’t expecting it.
“We connected really fast and he accepted it after a few days. I can’t be more excited about it.”
It will be fascinating to see how Murray and Djokovic work together in their new partnership, with tennis legend John McEnroe giving his reaction to the story as he appeared on the latest episode of the Served with Andy Roddick podcast.
“Andy is searching,” said McEnroe, as he assessed the Scot’s mood after he retired from tennis after the Paris Olympics last August.
“He’s got four kids, I’ve got six kids. So he is like… ‘I need a break!’
“He sorta got pushed into retirement because his body wouldn’t hold up. Murray is an incredible player. He has won three majors and been in 11 Grand Slam finals, but unfortunately, it catches up to you and it’s hard, it’s really hard. He desperately wanted to play.
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“I’m sure this is going to be extremely short-lived (Djokovic-Murray partnership), but in a way, I’m hoping he wins it (Australian Open) because of the interest it brings to tennis around the world.
“It would give Murray a little bit, it will give him more positive vibes and I’m kidding about needing a break from his kids. Everyone gets so upset. He will certainly sleep a little better though.”
When assessing what Murray brings to the Djokovic camp, McEnroe suggested his knowledge of the game will be welcome in the Serbian’s camp.
“This guy is a tennis geek and he loves it,” he added. “He’ll leave no stone unturned for Novak, just the way he did for himself. This guy gave 120 per-cent, he gave absolutely everything.
“I think Murray will bring something to the table. Just his mere presence and Novak has a lot of respect for him, so he will be able to push him when he needs to.”
