‘Novak Djokovic-Andy Murray partnership looks more like a PR stunt than a real tandem’
Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray’s player-coach partnership has been accused of looking “more like a PR stunt” than a real partnership.
World No 7 Djokovic announced last month that Murray, his former rival and fellow former world No 1, would work with him across the off-season and the Australian swing at the start of 2025.
Djokovic dropped six places in the world rankings in 2024 and failed to win a Grand Slam for the first time since 2017, while three-time major winner Murray retired from the sport in August.
News of the partnership has attracted huge attention, and many have praised Djokovic for tapping into Murray’s expertise ahead of potentially one of the most crucial seasons of his career.
However, it appears that not everyone is as enthusiastic about the partnership.
In an interview with Championat, renowned agent and academy owner Alexander Ostrovsky accused the partnership of being a “PR stunt”.
He said: “I think that for now this looks more like a PR stunt than a real tandem.
“Naturally, from the point of view of PR history, this is very interesting for the entire tennis community — for example, to see how Murray will behave in Djokovic’s box.
“How effective will it really be? I can’t say. Much will depend on Novak’s physical condition when he approaches the Australian Grand Slam.
“We all know that if the Serb is motivated, he can beat young opponents even at 37. And even young opponents sometimes find it difficult to compete with Djokovic.
“The 2024 Olympic final showed that if Novak wants something, he gets it. On the other hand, Djokovic certainly hasn’t gotten any younger. It’s very difficult to cheat time.
“I think that Novak will definitely not be able to dominate the tour in 2025.”
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After winning three of the four major titles in 2023 – and going 27-1 at the Slams – Djokovic reached just one major final in 2024, losing the Wimbledon final to Carlos Alcaraz.
The Serbian was beaten in the last four of the Australian Open by Jannik Sinner, while he was stunned in round three of the US Open by Alexei Popyrin and was forced to withdraw from his French Open quarter-final.
It had been expected that the 37-year-old would win his historic 25th Grand Slam singles title in 2024, though that quest was ultimately pushed back until 2025.
He potentially faces an uphill task to do that, with Sinner and Alcaraz sweeping the Slams this past season and looking more and more likely to be the dominant ATP forces over the next few years.
However, despite his pessimism over Djokovic’s coaching hire, Ostrovsky believes the Serbian can make history over the next 12 months.
He added: “I think Djokovic will still take one major.
“Historically, the Australian Open is Novak’s favourite Grand Slam. Most likely, the Serb will show his best result at the Slams next season in Melbourne.”
