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Djokovic & Murray join list of No. 1s to form player-coach relationship

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Federer-Edberg, Moya-Nadal among other No. 1 pairings

November 28, 2024

Andy Murray will coach Novak Djokovic at the 2025 Australian Open.

Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

Andy Murray will coach Novak Djokovic at the 2025 Australian Open.

By Arthur Kapetanakis

The news that Novak Djokovic is bringing on Andy Murray as his new coach shook the tennis world on Saturday. While it may seem unprecedented for two greats of the game to team up in a player-coach relationship, this is not the first time two former No. 1s in the PIF ATP Rankings have joined forces on the same side of the net.

While Djokovic and Murray’s extended Lexus ATP Head2Head rivalry — which spanned 36 matches — is unique among player-coach pairings, there are many examples of successful pairings of World No. 1s in recent history. ATPTour.com looks back at some of those partnerships.

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Jimmy Connors & Andy Roddick (2006-08)

Roddick won the Cincinnati ATP Masters 1000 and reached the 2006 US Open final shortly after hiring Connors in 2006. The all-American partnership, which lasted a year and a half, saw Roddick rise as high as No. 3 in the PIF ATP Rankings.

“Jimmy hadn’t been around the Tour in 15 years,” Roddick recently said on his Served with Andy Roddick podcast. “But I knew that when I was teeing off, first round, Arthur Ashe Stadium, under the lights, US Open, he knew exactly what I was feeling when I walked out there.”

Stefan Edberg & Roger Federer (2014-15)

Federer brought his childhood idol Edberg onto his team for the 2014 season, and the pair agreed to extend what was initially a one-year arrangement for a second season in 2015. Federer won two Cincinnati ATP Masters 1000 titles in that time and also claimed the 2014 Rolex Shanghai Masters crown. He also reached three major finals, two at Wimbledon and a third at the 2015 US Open.

“It was a dream come true,” Federer said at the close of his partnership with Edberg. “He taught me so much, and his influence on my game will remain. He will always be a part of my team.”

Edberg and Federer pose with Federer’s 2015 ATP Awards: the Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship award and the Fans’ Favourite singles award. Photo by Getty Images.

Boris Becker & Novak Djokovic (2014-16)

Becker coached Djokovic to six of his record 24 Grand Slam singles titles, including his first Roland Garros crown in 2016, during a successful three-season run. After his triumph at the clay-court major, Djokovic held all four Slam titles at the same time. The Serbian also won 14 ATP Masters 1000s during his time with Becker, including three-peats at Indian Wells and Miami.

“The goals we set when we started working together have been completely fulfilled,” Djokovic said in an announcement stating that the pair had mutually decided to end their partnership. “I want to thank him for the cooperation, teamwork, dedication and commitment.”

Andre Agassi & Novak Djokovic (2017-18)

Agassi was part of Djokovic’s team for nearly a year from mid-2017, alongside Radek Stepanek. While their partnership was informal and without a contract, Djokovic benefited from the experience of a player who had also been to the very top of the game.

“He was genuinely wanting to help and to give me advice and to share his experience with me, and that speaks enough about him as a person,” the Serbian said of Agassi. “He’s someone that I always admired as a player and a person. The last eight, nine months with Andre was amazing. The amount of things that I learned, not just about tennis but about life in general… for that I’m very grateful.”

Agassi, Djokovic

Agassi and Djokovic at Roland Garros in 2017. Photo by AFP/Getty Images.

Carlos Moya & Rafael Nadal (2017-2024)

Moya and Nadal squared off eight times on the ATP Tour from 2003-08, with Nadal claiming a 6-2 edge in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series. The Spaniards met when Nadal was 11 years old. Nineteen years later, when Nadal was 30, he brought on Moya as coach.

Moya helped Nadal increase the aggression in his game, and together they won eight Grand Slam titles, including five at Roland Garros. Prior to Moya’s introduction, Nadal did not advance beyond the quarter-finals at any major in 2015 and 2016.

“Now that everything is over, I have many memories of an incredible period of my life that will never be matched,” Moya recently reflected. “It’s something I’ll always carry with me. I’m grateful that he thought I could form part of his team for this adventure.”

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Juan Carlos Ferrero & Carlos Alcaraz (2018-Present)

Ferrero began working with his fellow Spaniard when Alcaraz was 15 in 2018. As Alcaraz has risen to the very top of the ATP Tour, Ferrero has been with him every step of the way — from his breakthrough into the Top 500, to his ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF honours in 2022, to his third and fourth Grand Slam titles in 2024.

“He is tough. He is a very serious person when he has to be, when it comes to work and discipline, he is very hard on you,” Alcaraz, now 21, said of his longtime coach. “But he is also very, very funny when he has to be. He knows how to differentiate the moments very well.”

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