Andy Murray says Novak Djokovic coaching role was unexpected
Story by Eleanor Crooks • 1h
Andy Murray admitted he was completely against the idea of going straight into coaching before Novak Djokovic tempted him back on tour.
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The Scot’s partnership with his former rival is the talk of Melbourne Park and there was again plenty of discussion between the pair at a practice session on Thursday.
Afterwards, Murray talked about his new role, which took the whole sporting world by surprise when Djokovic announced it in November, with a small group of reporters.
The 37-year-old also did not see it coming, saying: “I was actually playing golf. We’d actually been exchanging messages. Novak had messaged me just wanting to chat.
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“I was on the 17th hole of the golf course and the guy I was playing with said to me, ‘Do you know what’s next’? I was like, ‘No, not really’. He said ‘Do you have any plans to do any coaching’? And I said, ‘Honestly, I can’t think of anything worse to do right now’.
“And then 30 minutes later I was in the car and I called Novak, and then we had a conversation and he asked if I would be interested in helping, which I obviously wasn’t expecting.
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“I said to him, ‘Look, I need to think about it and talk to my family’. So I spoke to them and, after a couple of days, I thought that it was a pretty unique opportunity and experience.”
Andy Murray, right, watches Novak Djokovic practice (Mark Baker/AP) (AP)
Andy Murray, right, watches Novak Djokovic practice (Mark Baker/AP) (AP)
Murray has spent a lot of time on the golf course since his retirement following the Olympics last summer, while he also spoke about the desire to spend more time with his young family.
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He was unable to join Djokovic at the warm-up tournament in Brisbane last week because of a family skiing holiday, but Murray insisted going back on the road had not caused marital tensions.
“My wife was very supportive of it,” he said. “I was actually going to be in Australia anyway for a few days during the tournament. She was surprised, obviously, that he’d asked me, but she was really supportive of it.
“Maybe if it was a younger player, where it was maybe long term, (you) might be looking at five, six years potentially. I’m not sure that that’s necessarily the case with Novak – but you never know if he’s doing well. But she was very supportive.”
Murray spent a week and a half with Djokovic in Spain during pre-season but for now the arrangement only extends until the end of the Australian Open, which the Serbian will be bidding to win for an 11th time.
Murray has not ruled out a more permanent deal going forward, adding: “I thought it would be a good idea to try it together and spend some time in the off-season through Australia and see how it goes for both of us, because it’s a little bit different. It’s not the usual kind of set-up.
“So it made sense to trial it and see if it works. And then we said we’d make a more definitive decision after the tournament.”
Murray’s first match in the coaching box will come when Djokovic takes on young American Nishesh Basavareddy in the first round.
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