Andy Murray has been appointed the new coach for Novak Djokovic in a shock move.
In recent days the 24-time Grand Slam champion has mentioned he would like to work with a big name in the coming months but there was no mention of Murray, who retired from tennis earlier this year. The appointment is the Brit’s first venture into coaching in what will be an extremely interesting partnership.
The duo will begin working together during the off-season and then head to Australia. Under the current agreement, Murray will be working as coach to the world No.7 until the end of the Australian Open but that could be extended if both parties are willing to do so.
“I am excited to have one of my greatest rivals on the same side of the net, as my Coach,” Djokovic wrote on social media.
“Looking forward to the start of the season and competing in Australia alongside Andy with whom I have shared many exceptional moments on the Australian soil.”
Born seven days apart, Djokovic and Murray have played against each other 36 times on the Tour with the Serbian winning 25 of their encounters. Their rivalry includes playing against each other in seven Grand Slam finals, 10 Masters 1000 finals and in the gold medal match at the 2012 Olympic Games.
“I’m going to be joining Novak’s team in the off-season, helping him to prepare for the Australian Open,” Murray commented. “I’m really excited about it and looking forward to spending time on the same side of the net as Novak for a change, helping him to achieve his goals.”
Murray is the first person to be officially named as Djokovic’s coach since the departure of Goran Ivanisevic in March. Ivanisevic is now working with former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina.
The announcement follows a season where Djokovic won only one title, which was at the Paris Olympic Games. It is the first time he has ended a year without a Grand Slam trophy since 2017 and the first time he hasn’t won multiple events within the same year since 2005. Nevertheless, he recently told Sport Klub that tennis is still his top priority and has vowed to go ‘full throttle‘ next year.
It is understood that Djokovic plans to play his next Tour event during the first week of January but he is yet to confirm where. During that week there will be tournaments taking place in Hong Kong and Brisbane which are both ATP 250s.
