Tennis fans were left stunned by Novak Djokovic's appointment of Andy Murray as his coach, but the Serbian's mentor, Nenad Zimonjic, is confident the partnership will be successful.
Many had been mourning the end of an era after Murray and Rafael Nadal, whose career ended at the Davis Cup Finals, joined Roger Federer in retirement. Federer's career ended at the 2022 Laver Cup.
Djokovic, Nadal, Federer, and Murray dominated tennis for several years until 2017. Although Murray's three Grand Slams are far less than the others, he would have undoubtedly won more if a severe hip injury had not derailed him.
Murray played until this year's Olympics, but because of the injury, he never challenged at the most significant tournaments again after 2017. The 37-year-old needed a hip resurfacing to continue competing until this year.
His reduced level in recent years means newer fans of the sport may not realize how good Murray was. He routinely went toe-to-toe with Djokovic, Nadal, and Federer, widely regarded as the three best players ever.
Murray won two Wimbledon titles and the 2012 US Open, beating Djokovic in two of those finals. The Briton reached 11 Grand Slam finals, won two Olympic gold medals, and became the world No. 1 in 2016.
His great rivals denied him several other times. Djokovic defeated him in five Grand Slam finals, including four at the Australian Open, and Federer triumphed against Murray in three major finals.
Although Murray's CV is highly impressive, there was still widespread shock when Djokovic appointed him as his new coach until the end of the 2025 Australian Open, especially since his former rival has never coached a player.
However, Zimonjic, who helped Djokovic in 2024 after he parted ways with Goran Ivanisevic, told Ubitennis that he trusts the Serbian to make the right decisions and believes Murray's tactical nous will help the 24-time Grand Slam champion.
"Novak is a very smart guy in making decisions and his career is proof of that. So whenever he needed something really special in terms of coach and help, he reached out. The results are proof of that and I would say that he knows the best."
"They (Djokovic and Murray) know each other quite well and they’ve been playing against each other or together since they were kids. They have a similar style. Tactically, Andy was one of the best guys. So he can help him with a different view and different perspectives."
Although being a coach will be a new experience for Murray, Zimonjic reminded fans that he would join a team environment. His mentor also discussed the possibility of the two-time Wimbledon champion joining more permanently after the Australian Open.
"This is something new for Andy. All the experience that he had with the different coaches in the past and him being a player going through similar situations on his own, it can definitely help."
"Andy is going to be one of the team members there, they’re all together. They have a lot of experience. The whole team together with Novak and to have Andy as an addition, I think, can work out well."
"This is something that is going to be new for everybody. That’s probably why they agreed to work through the Australian Open and see how that goes and if it fits well. They could continue working together but it might depend on how much Andy wants to travel as well after playing for so many years."
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