Andy Murray to coach Novak Djokovic for Australian Open 2025; Serbian quips 'he never liked retirement anyway'
By Sunita Iyer | First Published Nov 23, 2024, 10:05 PM ISTMurray expressed excitement about being on the same side of the net as Djokovic for the first time, noting it would be a different experience.
Andy Murray will serve as coach to his former rival, Novak Djokovic, at the 2025 Australian Open. After retiring in August following a distinguished 19-year career, Murray, a three-time Grand Slam champion, will collaborate with Djokovic during the off-season and ahead of the tournament, set for January 12-26.
Murray expressed excitement about being on the same side of the net as Djokovic for the first time, noting it would be a different experience.
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Djokovic, who has won the Australian Open a record 10 times, including four victories over Murray in the final, shared a video on X showcasing their past encounters. He humorously titled it: "He never liked retirement anyway."
He never liked retirement anyway. š pic.twitter.com/Ga4UlV2kQW
ā Novak Djokovic (@DjokerNole)Reflecting on their long-standing rivalry, Djokovic remarked, "We played each other since we were boys, 25 years of pushing each other beyond our limits."
"We had some of the most epic battles in our sport. I thought our story may be over, - turns out it has one final chapter. It's time for one of my toughest opponents to step into my corner," the 24-time Grand Slam champion added.
Novak Djokovic is now tied with Margaret Court for the most major singles titles by any player. It would be poetic for him to surpass the Australian legend in Melbourne, where he has had tremendous success over the years. However, 2024 proved challenging for Djokovic by his usual high standards.
For the first time since 2017, Djokovic did not win a major title, falling in the Australian Open semi-finals to world number one Jannik Sinner and losing to Carlos Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final. Despite these setbacks, he achieved a long-awaited Olympic gold medal in Paris, which he called his "greatest achievement."
Throughout their careers, Djokovic and Murray have shared a strong friendship, with Djokovic leading their head-to-head record 25-11.
"I'm going to be joining Novak's team in the off-season, helping him to prepare for the Australian Open," Murray said.
"Iām really excited for 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."
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