Novak Djokovic shocked tennis fans worldwide by appointing Andy Murray as his new coach, and the tennis legend has discussed why he thinks the move could work well.
Djokovic competed throughout most of 2024 without a permanent coach. He and Goran Ivanisevic parted ways after a nearly five-year successful partnership that included ten Grand Slam titles.
Ivanisevic is now working with Elena Rybakina. The Kazakhstani announced before the WTA Finals that she and the 2001 Wimbledon champion would begin their partnership during the off-season.
Without a permanent coach to help him, Djokovic failed to win a Grand Slam for the first time since 2017 this year. The closest he came was finishing as the runner-up to Carlos Alcaraz for a second consecutive season.
However, despite only winning a record-low one title in 2024, Djokovic's season can still be considered a success because he secured the Olympic gold medal he had craved for so long by overcoming Alcaraz at Roland-Garros.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion is now at something of a crossroads. He is statistically the most successful player ever and has won every significant title available in the sport.
That left a question mark about whether Djokovic could motivate himself for 2025. The 37-year-old admits that focusing on the four Grand Slams and representing Serbia at this late stage of his career are his priorities, but he already holds more major titles than any other man.
Djokovic answered those questions loudly and clearly by appointing Murray until at least the end of the 2025 Australian Open. From 2011 to 2016, he played the Briton in seven Grand Slam finals, winning five but losing at the US Open in 2012 and Wimbledon in 2013.
Murray would not have been hired unless Djokovic still believed he could challenge at the most significant tournaments. The ten-time Australian Open winner told Sky Sports why he thinks Murray is the right appointment.
"I was going through a process of thinking about what I need at this stage of my career because I stopped with my coach Goran Ivanisevic, whom I was very successful with and I who worked with for many years earlier in March."
"So I took about six months to think about if I need a coach, and if yes, who is that going to be and the profile of the coach. We were going through different names and I realized that the perfect coach for me at this point would someone who has been through the experiences that I am going through, possibly a multiple-time Grand Slam winner and former world No. 1."
"I was thinking about different people, and then an Andy Murray discussion appeared on the table with me and my team, and I said, 'Okay, I'm going to give him a call and see how it goes.' It caught him a little bit off-guard as well because he wasn't expecting it. We connected really fast and he accepted it after a few days."
"I couldn't be any more excited about this collaboration. It's a surprise to me as well as everyone, but it's exciting for tennis. He's been one of my greatest rivals, we're the same age and 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."