Novak Djokovic announces Andy Murray as his new coach
Novak Djokovic has announced that former rival Andy Murray will coach him ahead of the Australian Open, in his first role since retiring earlier this year.
Djokovic has been without a mainstay coach since March after parting ways with Goran Ivanisevic, bringing an end to their near four year partnership.
And now the Serbian has made the surprise announcement that Murray will be his new mentor, despite only being a week older than Djokovic.
“We played each other since we were boys, 25 years of being rivals, of pushing each other beyond our limits,” Djokovic said in an announcement video on social media. “We had some of the most epic battles in our sport. I thought our story may be over, turns out it has one final chapter. It’s time for one of my toughest opponents to step into my corner.”
Djokovic added, “I am excited to have one of my greatest rivals on the same side of the net, as my coach. Looking forward to start of the season and competing in Australia alongside Andy with whom I have shared many exceptional moments on the Australian soil.”
He never liked retirement anyway. 🙌 pic.twitter.com/Ga4UlV2kQW
— Novak Djokovic (@DjokerNole) November 23, 2024
Murray has been away from tennis since August, after retiring at the Paris Olympic Games in doubles action alongside Dan Evans.
The former World No.1 will now begin his first coaching role with the man that he played on 36 occasions, including in seven Grand Slam finals.
“I’m going to be joining Novak’s team in the off season, helping him to prepare for the Australian Open,” said Murray upon the announcement. “I’m really excited for it and looking forward to spending time on the same side of the net as Novak for a change, helping him to achieve his goals”.
Djokovic prevented Murray from winning the Australian Open title on four occasions, and now the Brit will be trying to help his former rival win a record 11th title in Melbourne next year.
Inside the baseline…
This announcement has come as a complete surprise to many people across the tennis and sporting world, but what exciting news it is. Andy Murray had hinted that he would like to go into coaching after his final ever match at Wimbledon earlier this year, but it did not seem likely that he would start with someone as high calibre as Novak Djokovic. It would be somewhat ironic if the first time that Murray was to be part of a winning Australian Open team was alongside the man that beat him in so many finals in Melbourne.
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