Views differ among tennis fans and analysts about whether Andy Murray will succeed as Novak Djokovic's coach. However, the Briton's former coach, Mark Petchey, is irritated by one opinion shared among a section of tennis fans.
Djokovic officially appointed Murray as his new coach last month. The initial agreement is only until the end of the Australian Open, although neither man has ruled out the possibility of it being extended beyond that point.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion thinks Murray is the perfect choice because he can relate to the pressure of trying to win major titles in front of millions of fans worldwide in a way few others can.
Murray knows Djokovic better than most. The pair played together in juniors and contested seven Grand Slam finals. Djokovic won five of these, with Murray's two triumphs coming at the 2012 US Open and 2013 Wimbledon.
While the tennis world is widely excited about Murray's job as his former rival's coach, not everyone expects it to be a long-term partnership. John McEnroe predicts it will be short-lived but probably fun while it lasts.
How durable the partnership is might depend on how Murray reacts when Djokovic gets angry at his box, which the tennis legend often does. Tim Henman expects there to be fireworks and is interested in seeing how Murray deals with that.
Doubles legend Todd Woodbridge is among those hopeful about Djokovic's bold move working. The Australian thinks Murray is one of the few people whose opinion he respects, and that could create a healthy dynamic.
Petchey spoke to Betway about Djokovic and Murray working together. One thing that bothers the British coach and commentator is people suggesting that the move indicates Djokovic is winding down his career.
"Knowing Andy as well as I do, there’s no question that he will already be going through Novak's matches from this year with a fine tooth comb, the battles that he's had with Carlos and Jannik and what's worked but what hasn't worked."
"I've seen people say this is Novak at the end of his career kind of winding down potentially by hiring a mate. That’s absolute bul***t. Andy is not wired that way. He wouldn't let me beat him in a video game. “He will not go into Australia with Novak if it isn't to win another Australian Open, his 25th Major and a record 11th Australian Open."
Murray's former coach thinks the opportunity to work with Djokovic is great for him and will help him discover how to find value in his life after years of being a professional tennis player.
"This is a great challenge for Andy. This for most of these great champions is a period of going into the void, trying to figure out how he can find some value in his life. It's very tough for a lot of these great champions to do that."
"They can never recreate what they had, never relive those emotions that he would have had on Centre Court or at Flushing Meadows, or in the Davis Cup."
"Some former players, like Ivan Lendl, have found solace in golf and there are a lot of similarities in Ivan's career and the way that Andy is probably going to be in his retirement. Ivan has obviously been the greatest influence on Andy's career and there’s a blueprint there for Andy as he goes through the rest of his life."
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