Andy Murray is set to make a swift return to the court following his retirement this summer, for the first time in his career as a coach. The British legend will join Novak Djokovic’s coaching team ahead of the Australian Open. Former ATP player Nicolas Mahut has given his opinion about the collaboration.
This season, Djokovic failed to reach the expectations he set in 2023, as he is without a tour-level title this year. The former World No. 1’s only silverware came at the Paris Olympics, where he defeated Carlos Alcaraz in straight sets to claim the elusive gold medal. Djokovic did reach two finals this season but failed to win the titles.
He is now seeking to bounce back in 2025, and in a bid to do so, he announced on Saturday (November 23) that Murray will be his new coach. The Serbian was without a coach for a month this year after splitting with Goran Ivanisevic in March. He partnered with Boris Bošnjakov ahead of the 2024 French Open, but that has not yielded much success.
For Djokovic, he believes it is the right move to make Murray his coach ahead of the 2025 Australian Open. The Serbian legend’s choice has led former ATP player Nicolas Mahut to believe that Murray will give him the much-needed boost in his career.
Maybe he must have felt it too on his side. Sometimes, when you have trouble finding personal resources inside, you look for them a little bit outside, and the fact of renewing the staff can sometimes be a trigger. There, very clearly, taking Andy, who was his rival for years, who has known him since he was little, it will give him a little boost, he will want to do well. Now, I really have the feeling that we can see a super Novak.
Nicolas Mahut said via Eurosport
Murray might have ended his career winning only three Grand Slams, but he was the only player who competed up to the level of the Big 3. He made history in 2013 by becoming the first British man to win Wimbledon in 77 years.
Greg Rusedski reacts to Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray collaboration
Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray’s partnership has left fans and legends in shock since the announcement. The duo, who were stern rivals for over 15 years, will now be working as a team. They both faced each other 35 times on the court, with Djokovic leading 25-11 in their head-to-head record.
ATP legend Greg Rusedski took to social media to react to Djokovic and Murray’s partnership. The 51-year-old former British player revealed that it will be a fascinating collaboration between the two legends.
Novak Djokovic coached by Andy Murray is going to be fascinating to watch the player coach relationship. Andy is a great tactician , and knows all the current player’s strengths & weaknesses. This could be an inspired choice or will it be a clash of personalities? Intriguing.
Greg Rusedski wrote via X
Novak Djokovic coached by Andy Murray is going to be fascinating to watch the player coach relationship .Andy is a great tactician ,knows all the current player’s strengths & weaknesses. This could be an inspired choice or will it be a clash of personalities? Intriguing
— Greg Rusedski (@GregRusedski1) November 24, 2024
Murray’s last professional match was at the Paris Olympics, where he and his partner Dan Evans exited in the quarterfinals. The 37-year-old struggled with injuries at the latter end of his career after sustaining a hip injury in 2019.
