Novak Djokovic's Longtime Rival Agrees To Coach Him For 2025 Season
11/23/2024 02:49 PM
Novak Djokovic will ask a familiar face to help him prepare for the 2025 Australian Open.
On Saturday, Djokovic revealed that Andy Murray has agreed to coach him. The three-time Grand Slam champion from Great Britain retired from the sport in July. His last professional event was the Summer Olympics in Paris. As of right now, the plan is for Murray to coach Djokovic during the offseason and the Australian Open. It's possible their partnership will extend past January depending on how things go.
"We played each other since we were boys — 25 years of being rivals, of pushing each other beyond our limits. We had some of the most epic battles in our sport. They called us game-changers, risk-takers, history-makers," Djokovic said. "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. Welcome on board, Coach — Andy Murray."
Murray added that he's "looking forward to spending time on the same side of the net as Novak for a change."
Djokovic and Murray had plenty of legendary battles against each other during their respective careers. The former has a 25-11 record in those matches.
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This is the second notable change Djokovic has made to his inner circle. He got rid of Goran Ivanisevic back in March. They spent six years together.
Will Murray be a worthy replacement for Ivanisevic? Only time will tell, but this is a pretty interesting move for Djokovic.
Djokovic didn't win a single Grand Slam tournament this past season. He did, however, capture a gold medal at the Olympics. That's all that was missing from his incredible résumé.
The 2025 Australian Open will begin on Jan. 12. We'll see if Djokovic can reclaim his throne in Melbourne.
