Andy Murray has appointed Novak Djokovic as the new coach for the Australian Open

Novak Djokovic has appointed his former rival and three-time Grand Slam champion Andy Murray as his new coach.

Murray, 37, ended his illustrious 19-year career after the Paris Olympics in August, but is returning to tennis to help the 24-time Grand Slam winner prepare for the Australian Open, which starts on January 12.

Djokovic, 37, said: “I’m happy that one of my biggest rivals is on the same side of the net as my coach. I look forward to the start of the season and competing in Australia with Andy, with whom I have shared many exceptional moments on Australian soil.”

In a video announcing Murray’s appointment to X, world number 7 Djokovic added: “We played against each other since we were boys; 25 years of rivals, pushing each other beyond our limits.

“We had some of the most epic battles in our sport. I thought our story was over, turns out it has one last chapter.

“It’s time for one of my toughest opponents to step into my corner.”

The Serbian said goodbye to former coach Goran Ivanisevic in March this year.

Murray, who defeated Djokovic to win his first Grand Slam at the US Open in 2012, said: “I will be joining Novak’s team this off-season and helping him prepare for the Australian Open. I’m really excited and looking forward to being on the same side of the net as Novak for a change and helping him achieve his goals.”

The Scot defeated Djokovic to end Britain’s 77-year wait for a Wimbledon men’s champion in 2013, before winning it again in 2016 after beating Milos Raonic.

The duo were born a week apart in May 1987, were regular opponents as juniors and played against each other 36 times as professionals. Djokovic won the majority of those head-to-head meetings, with 25 victories to Murray’s 11.

Djokovic and Murray faced each other in the Australian Open final in 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2016, with the Serbian winning four times.

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Djokovic (left) defeated Murray (right) in four Australian Open finals between 2011 and 2016 (Photo by Michael Dodge/Getty Images)

‘One of the most intriguing coach-player relationships in tennis history’

Analysis by Charlie Eccleshare

Remember those matches where Murray did something so crazy you had to do a double take?

Well, it turns out he’s still into it after retirement. Today’s (Saturday) announcement took everyone in the tennis world by surprise and feels like something that would be suggested in online forums or by fans over a few drinks, but doesn’t happen in the real world.

Come on, Murray just retired. He enjoys spending time with his family and working on his golf game. He is entitled to a few quiet months.

Or not. Instead, he has signed up for one of the most intriguing coach-player relationships in tennis history. It is certainly extremely rare for such a recently retired player to have any contact with one of their great rivals.

The Murray camp remained tight-lipped on Saturday about exactly what his role will be and how it came about (team Djokovic was also contacted for comment), but he will certainly be a prominent voice given the mutual respect between these two .

The fact that Djokovic defeated Murray in four Australian Open finals only adds to the intrigue surrounding it as their partnership kicks off in earnest in Melbourne in January.

How Murray will operate as a coach is unknown, but he has always been highly regarded in tennis circles for his astute analysis of the game. His high tennis IQ was one of his greatest strengths as a player and one of the assumptions was that he would one day captain the British Davis Cup (an event he almost single-handedly won for his country nine years ago ).

Djokovic doesn’t need much guidance with his shots, or indeed the mental side of the game, but Murray will provide him with a new perspective after a mixed year.

The 24-time Grand Slam champion won the Olympic gold medal he craved, but did not win another title in 2024. The appointment shows that Djokovic, now 37, wants to freshen things up as he tries to win back the young players. potential usurpers Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner who both defeated him in a Grand Slam match this year and shared the four majors among themselves.

Djokovic caused a stir in March when he parted ways with former Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanisevic, who had been his head coach for two years and had been part of the team since 2018.

It will take some getting used to seeing Murray in the coach’s box, an area where he used to hurl so many abuses, but this could be a masterstroke. Or it could go the way of Djokovic’s last partnership with former world No. 1, the largely unsuccessful partnership with Andre Agassi during the barren period of 2017 and the first half of 2018.

Either way, this announcement suggests that even in retirement, Murray has lost none of his ability to wow tennis and the rest of the world.

(Top photo: AK BijuRaj/Getty Images)