Novak Djokovic said shared experiences with Andy Murray make the Scot the “perfect coach” as he bids to win a record 25th Grand Slam in Australia in January.
Murray, a three-time major winner, retired after the Paris Olympics at the age of 37, finally admitting defeat in his long battle against injury.
Last week Djokovic made the surprise announcement that he was teaming up with his long-time British rival in the off-season and in the build-up to the first Grand Slam of the year.
He admitted Murray, born just a week before himself, was caught off-guard but that they “connected really fast”.
“I was trying to figure out what I need at this stage of my career because I stopped with my (former) coach, Goran Ivanisevic, with whom I was very successful and worked for many years, in March,” Djokovic told Sky Sports.
“So I took about six months to really think about if I need a coach and, if yes, who that’s going to be and the profile of the coach.
“We were going through names and I realised that the perfect coach for me at this point would be someone who has been through the experiences I am going through, possibly a multiple Grand Slam winner, a former (world) number one.
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“I was thinking about different people and a discussion about Andy Murray appeared on the table with me and my team.”
Djokovic, who ended his wait for Olympic gold in Paris this year, is tied with Margaret Court for the most Grand Slam titles won by any player but 2024 is the first year he has not lifted a major since 2017.
The Serbian, who said the collaboration was also a surprise to him, hopes adding Murray to his team will help him challenge Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, who have established a new power base at the top of the men’s game.
“I still will try to go strong because I feel like my body is serving me well. I still have motivation to win Grand Slams and make more history,” Djokovic said.
“That’s one of the biggest reasons why I asked Andy to work with me, because I still have big plans, so as long as that’s the case, I will keep going.”
The two players were members of the so-called “Big Four”, along with Rafael Nadal, who retired earlier this month, and Roger Federer, who left the sport in 2022.
AFP
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