One Novak Djokovic comment shines a light on why he hired Andy Murray as his coach
It was an announcement that stunned the tennis world, but Novak Djokovic’s explanation of why he asked Andy Murray to join his coaching team for the Australian Open adds some clarity to this story.
News that Djokovic has called his former rival and long-time friend Murray to see if he would consider joining his team in his first coaching role just a few months after his retirement from tennis was a move that left us all rubbing our eyes in disbelief.
Now it has emerged Djokovic was also surprised by the development, as he spoke to Sky Sports about the move while attending the Qatar Grand Prix.
“I was going through a process of thinking about next season and trying to figure out what I need at this stage of my career,” said Djokovic.
“Because I stopped with my coach Goran Ivanisevic, that I was very successful with for many years, in March.
“So I took about six months to really think about if I really need a coach, and if yes, who that’s going to be and the profile of the coach.
“We were going through different names and I realised the perfect coach for me at this point would be someone that has been through the experiences that I’m going through, possible multiple Grand Slam winner, former No 1.
“I was thinking about different people and then an Andy Murray discussion appeared on the table with me and my team.
“It was still a shock decision. It caught him a little bit off guard as well because he wasn’t expecting it, so we connected really fast and he accepted after a few days.
“I couldn’t be more excited about it. This collaboration is a surprise to me as well, to everyone.
“But it’s exciting for tennis. He’s been one of my greatest rivals. We’re the same age. We’ve played in all the biggest stadiums in our sport. So I can’t wait to get out on the court and prepare for next season.”
The reality is there are not too many names Djokovic could have turned to add something new to his team ahead of the first Grand Slam of 2025 and the key aspect he clearly feels Murray can add is the perspective on what he described as ‘experiences that I’m going through’.
Novak Djokovic News
‘Andy Murray might have the highest tennis IQ I have ever seen,’ says former world No 1
That will refer to Djokovic’s waning appetite to compete in events outside of Grand Slams and representing Serbia and Murray could add some words of advice that could fire his burners.
While the Scot never lost his appetite for the sport and admitted he ‘wants to play forever’ during his retirement speech on the Centre Court at Wimbledon last July, Murray’s presence in Australia may be a reminder to Djokovic that he will have long enough away from tennis to ensure he needs to embrace the time he has left on court.
Defending champion Jannik Sinner may not be allowed to compete at the Australian Open if a negative verdict is reached in his anti-doping case, with the World Anti-Doping Agency calling for a one to two-year ban after they appealed against the initial verdict not to punish the world No 1 with a ban.
If Sinner was removed from some of the draws for Grand Slam tournaments next year due to an extended suspension from the sport, the door could open for Djokovic to challenge for the 25th major title he craves as he looks to move clear of Margaret Court in the all-time list of major title winners in tennis.
