What being coached by Murray could do for Djokovic

Andy Murray hiring Ivan Lendl and Novak Djokovic appointing Boris Becker were 2 breathtaking moments of surprise.

But the quality that Murray volition manager Djokovic astatine January's Australian Open whitethorn origin adjacent much exhilaration. I americium definite I americium not the lone 1 who checked the date, to marque perfectly definite it was not 1 April.

These 2 are lone 7 days isolated successful age, and shared the tribunal successful 7 Grand Slam singles finals.

Friends arsenic juniors, they became rivals arsenic seniors. There was galore a heated infinitesimal on the mode but, helped by a shared history, they mostly seemed to get on beauteous well.

"Never adjacent liked tennis anyway," Murray posted connected the time helium retired from playing.

"He ne'er liked status anyway," Djokovic posted connected the time the Scot began his coaching career.

Djokovic has often worked with Grand Slam champions successful a vocation which has truthful acold returned 24 large titles. There were 3 years with Becker, six with Goran Ivanisevic and a little productive twelvemonth successful the institution of Andre Agassi.

Djokovic said Becker was idiosyncratic helium would "look to for oculus interaction successful the pugnacious moments".

Agassi's skill, helium said, was distilling analyzable concepts into precise accusation and reminding him however bully helium is.

Boris Bosnjakovic, who antecedently ran the Novak Tennis Centre, has been minding the vessel since Ivanisevic near successful March.

But different assignment ever seemed apt arsenic 37-year-old Djokovic heads into 2025 trying to interruption the clasp Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz person connected the Grand Slam titles.

Murray's beingness volition precise apt beryllium a stimulus, and his speechmaking of the crippled and investigation of different players erstwhile competing suggests helium has the makings of an outstanding coach.

"Andy's precise crisp with the information broadside of things and the strategy," Murray's manager of six years Jamie Delgado told BBC Sport.

"You person got to retrieve that Andy has played against Novak galore times, truthful helium volition cognize and explicit to Novak what makes him truthful hard to play against, punctual him of those things that his opponents volition beryllium feeling erstwhile they play against him.

"Novak has present got antithetic rivals successful beforehand of him - Sinner and Alcaraz - and Andy's played these guys himself, truthful successful presumption of getting that last fewer per cent to marque a quality successful matches from a strategy constituent of view, you would beryllium hard pushed to find idiosyncratic amended than Andy."

The astir astonishing portion is the timing. Murray lone retired from playing 4 months ago. That clip has been shared betwixt his household and his play clubs, but arsenic helium told the Control the Controllables podcast past year, if his children are astatine school, helium is often bored by Wednesday lunchtime.

The accidental to enactment with Djokovic is improbable to travel astir again and, having mislaid 4 Melbourne finals to the Serb, helium whitethorn deliberation helium volition ne'er person a amended accidental to triumph the Australian Open.

Joking aside, determination bash not look to beryllium galore downsides. Djokovic has not presently entered immoderate events earlier the Australian Open, truthful Murray should beryllium escaped to bask the Christmas vacation astatine location aft immoderate enactment unneurotic during the off-season.

Their Melbourne signifier sessions volition beryllium container office, and it volition beryllium enthralling to spot however their narration develops and whether Murray could beryllium a diagnostic of Djokovic's squad astatine immoderate of the year's different Grand Slams.

"They ever got connected well, but I don't deliberation it would person been arsenic adjacent arsenic it possibly was erstwhile they were younger - oregon it would beryllium now," Delgado says of their relationship.

"There was conscionable truthful overmuch connected the line. But they had immense respect for each other.

"Andy ever spoke truthful highly of his [Djokovic's] crippled and however hard it was to play against him. The respect was entity high."

The last large enactment successful their playing rivalry was the contention to beryllium the twelvemonth extremity satellite fig 1 successful 2016.

"When maine and Novak talk with each other, we don't speech astir tennis, rankings, the matches we play against each other," Murray said earlier that year.

"Maybe erstwhile we decorativeness playing, that mightiness change."