Tennis
Shock as Novak Djokovic announces huge rival as new coach for Australian Open
Djokovic chases a record 25th Grand Slam at the 2025 Australian Open and will have one of his toughest opponents in his corner.
Novak Djokovic has decided it’s time for a new coach, and his choice comes as something of a shock unexpected: Andy Murray. The 37-year-old Brit, who retired this year after competing in the men’s doubles at the Paris Olympics with fellow Brit Daniel Evans, will aim to help Djokovic secure his 25th Grand Slam title, which would break the all-time record held by Australia’s Margaret Court.
“He never liked retirement anyway,” Djokovic wrote in the Instagram post announcing his decision to bring Murray on board. “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. 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 aboard, Coach, Andy Murray,” Djokovic said in the announcement video.
The plan is for them to work together at least through the preseason and the 2025 Australian Open, with the possibility of extending their partnership.
Djokovic parted ways with his previous coach, Croatian Goran Ivanisevic, at the end of March. Nenad Zimonjic and his team manager, Spaniard Carlos Gómez Herrera, temporarily took over coaching duties at the Shanghai Masters 1000.
This isn’t the first time Djokovic has chosen a former tennis star as his coach. In the past, he has worked with Andre Agassi, Mario Ancic, Boris Becker, and Radek Stepanek, in addition to Ivanisevic. However, his most stable professional relationship was with Slovakian coach Marjan Vajda, whom he parted ways with in 2022 after nearly 16 years together.
Original article written by Nacho Albarrán, translated with the assistance of AI and edited by Roddy Cons.
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