Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic has admitted that he’s ‘excited’ after making a ‘shock decision’ to add British former world No. 1 Andy Murray to his coaching staff ahead of the Australian Open.
Novak Djokovic has revealed his excitement at the prospect of working alongside British tennis legend Andy Murray following the shock announcement that the former world No. 1 would be joining the Serbian’s team as a coach.
Murray, who retired from the sport after the Olympics back in August, has linked up with his former rival on a short-term arrangement for pre-season training, with the Scotsman set to accompany Djokovic to the Australian Open in January.
His appointment comes following Djokovic’s split from former coach Goran Ivanisevic back in March.
At the time of writing, the UK’s best tennis betting sites have Djokovic as the third favourite to win the Australian Open in the new year, behind Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.
Novak Djokovic ‘Excited’ To Work With ‘Legend’ Andy Murray
Speaking to Sky Sports News, the 37-year-old explained his decision to offer Murray a coaching role on his team.
“I was going through a process of thinking about next season and trying to figure out what I need at this stage of my career because I stopped with my coach, Goran Ivanisevic, that I was very successful with for many years, in March.
“So I took about six months to really think about if I really need a coach, and if yes, who that’s going to be and the profile of the coach.
“We were going through different names, and I realised the perfect coach for me at this point would be someone that has been through the experiences that I’m going through, possible multiple Grand Slam winner, former No. 1.
“I was thinking about different people, and then an Andy Murray discussion appeared on the table with me and my team.”
He continued, revealing that his proposal caught Murray by surprise: “It caught him a little bit off guard as well because he wasn’t expecting it, so we connected really fast, and he accepted after a few days.
“I couldn’t be more excited about it. This collaboration is a surprise to me as well, to everyone.
“But it’s exciting for tennis. He’s been one of my greatest rivals. We’re the same age. We’ve played in all the biggest stadiums in our sport. So I can’t wait to get out on the court and prepare for next season.”
Novak Djokovic explains how his “surprise” Andy Murray link up came about 🤝 pic.twitter.com/s8Wf6NHViA
— Sky Sports Tennis (@SkySportsTennis) November 29, 2024
