By Charlie Eccleshare, Callum Davis and Matthew Futterman
Novak Djokovic has appointed his former rival and three-time Grand Slam champion Andy Murray as his new coach.
Murray, 37, referred to as time on his illustrious 19-year profession after the Paris Olympics in August however is returning to tennis to assist the 24-time Grand Slam winner’s preparations for the Australian Open, which begins on January 12.
Djokovic, 37, mentioned: “I’m excited to have certainly one of my biggest rivals on the identical aspect of the online, as my coach. Trying ahead to begin of the season and competing in Australia alongside Andy with whom I’ve shared many distinctive moments on the Australian soil.”
In a video asserting Murray’s appointment on X, world No. 7 Djokovic added: “We performed one another since we had been boys; 25 years of being rivals, of pushing one another past our limits.
“We had among the most epic battles in our sport. I assumed our story was over, seems it has one remaining chapter.
“It’s time for certainly one of my hardest opponents to step into my nook.”
The Serbian parted methods with former coach Goran Ivanisevic in March this 12 months.
Murray, who beat Djokovic to win his first Grand Slam on the U.S. Open in 2012, mentioned: “I’m going to be becoming a member of Novak’s group within the off season, serving to him to arrange for the Australian Open. I’m actually excited for it and looking out ahead to spending time on the identical aspect of the online as Novak for a change, serving to him to attain his objectives.”
The Scot defeated Djokovic to finish Nice Britain’s 77-year await a males’s Wimbledon champion in 2013 earlier than profitable it once more in 2016 after defeating Milos Raonic.
Born per week aside in Might 1987, the duo had been common opponents as juniors and went on to play one another 36 instances as professionals. Djokovic received nearly all of these head-to-head conferences, with 25 victories to Murray’s 11.
Djokovic and Murray confronted off within the Australian Open remaining in 2011, 2013, 2015, 2016 — with the Serbian profitable on all 4 events.
GO DEEPER
‘The one on the similar stage as us’: Nadal, Gauff and Djokovic on Andy Murray
Djokovic (left) beat Murray (proper) in 4 Australian Open finals between 2011 and 2016 (Picture by Michael Dodge/Getty Pictures)
‘One of the crucial intriguing coach-player relationships in tennis historical past’
Evaluation by Charlie Eccleshare
Bear in mind these matches the place Murray would do one thing so completely loopy you needed to do a double take?
Properly, it seems he nonetheless fancies a little bit of that in retirement. In the present day’s (Saturday) announcement caught everybody in tennis without warning and feels just like the kind of factor that will be prompt in on-line boards or by followers over a number of drinks however doesn’t occur in the actual world.
Come on, Murray has solely simply retired, he’s having fun with having correct time together with his household and dealing on his golf sport, he’s entitled to a quiet few months.
Or not. As a substitute, he’s signed up for some of the intriguing coach-player relationships in tennis historical past. Actually, it’s uncommon to have such a just lately retired participant linking up with certainly one of their large rivals.
The Murray camp was tight-lipped on Saturday about what his position can be and the way it has come about, (group Djokovic was additionally contacted for remark) however he will certainly be a outstanding voice given the mutual respect between these two.
The truth that Djokovic beat Murray in 4 Australian Open finals solely provides to the intrigue round it given their partnership will begin in earnest in Melbourne in January.
How Murray will function as a coach is unknown, however he has all the time been held in extraordinarily excessive esteem in tennis circles for his shrewd evaluation of the sport. His excessive tennis IQ was certainly one of his greatest strengths as a participant and one assumption has been that he’ll at some point be the British Davis Cup captain (an occasion he nearly single-handedly received for his nation 9 years in the past).
Djokovic doesn’t want a lot steerage on his photographs, or the psychological aspect of the sport, however Murray will supply him a brand new perspective after a combined 12 months.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion received the Olympic gold medal he craved however in any other case didn’t decide up one other title in 2024. This appointment exhibits that Djokovic, now 37, is seeking to freshen issues up as he makes an attempt to reel again within the younger would-be usurpers Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner who each beat him in a Grand Slam match this 12 months and break up the 4 majors between them.
Djokovic already shook issues up in March when he parted methods with former Wimbledon champion Ivanisevic, his important coach for 2 years and a part of the group since 2018.
Seeing Murray within the coaches field, an space he used to hurl a lot invective in the direction of, will take some getting used to, however this might find yourself being a masterstroke. Or it may go the way in which of Djokovic’s final partnership with a former world No 1, the largely unsuccessful hyperlink up with Andre Agassi through the barren interval of 2017 and the primary half of 2018.
Both means, this announcement means that even in retirement Murray has misplaced none of his skill to stun the tennis and wider world.
Murray will perceive what Djokovic’s experiencing
Evaluation by Matthew Futterman
Empathy. That’s the phrase I considered once I realized that Djokovic requested Murray to assist him put together for the Australian Open.
Djokovic likes to take a look at his field and see somebody who is aware of what he has gone via. He’s had individuals there who haven’t performed in and received Grand Slam finals, most notably Marian Vajda, the Slovak who had a number of stints with Djokovic throughout his profession.
However take a look at the forged of characters he has chosen to work with: Agassi, Boris Becker, Ivanisevic and now Murray. That crew has 18 Grand Slam titles and a set of different finals appearances.
It’s arduous to think about there’s something Djokovic doesn’t learn about tennis at this level in his life. It’s arduous to think about there’s an concept of find out how to beat any of the highest gamers nowadays — most notably Alcaraz and Sinner — that he hasn’t considered. Djokovic beat Alcaraz to win the gold medal in Paris this summer time with out a coach. It got here after he made the Wimbledon remaining weeks after present process knee surgical procedure. Djokovic has been simply superb on his personal.
And nonetheless, his field appeared empty with out Ivanisevic or one other large identify he may jaw with throughout matches. Somebody who may perceive what he was going via within the second as a result of they as soon as skilled it themselves.
If issues go properly through the offseason prep, Djokovic could have that once more with Murray, who had the same penchant for jawing together with his help group all through his matches. Murray can have a good suggestion of what’s going via that mind, the distinctive pressures of being simply concerning the greatest identify within the sport and attempting to dwell as much as it.
That setup has all the time labored out properly for Djokovic up to now. It’s arduous to see the hurt in giving it a go but once more.
(High photograph: AK BijuRaj/Getty Pictures)
