Most observers predicted that Andy Murray would enter the world of coaching at some point.
Few expected it to be so soon. And even fewer expected it to be as coach of Novak Djokovic.
When the pair dropped the bombshell that they will be teaming up, with a statement saying they will work together in the off-season and in the build-up to the 2025 Australian Open, it literally stopped me in my tracks.
Had I been given a million guesses, I still wouldn’t have landed on this pairing, and certainly not at this moment.
But that’s what makes it so box office.
It’s going to be thrilling to see how this partnership turns out whether it's only a short-term arrangement that ends with the Australian Open in January or one that’s extended much further into 2025 and beyond.
The first question that came to mind is why?
Why is Djokovic, who’s the most successful player in the history of the sport and who, by winning Olympic gold last year literally completed tennis, hiring a coach who has absolutely no coaching experience at all?
And why would Murray want to take on this role?
Surely, then, being back on tour is the last thing he’d want?
But in fact, on closer inspection, this may well be a genius move from the pair of them.
From Djokovic’s point of view, whether this reaps the rewards he’s aiming for or not, it’s certainly worth a try.
The Serb is very much in the home straight of his career – he’s 37 years old – and is now having to deal with the fact there are younger, and arguably better, players around.
In the shape of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz in particular, Djokovic is faced with the reality that even his very best might not be quite enough to win major titles any longer.
But the Serb clearly wants one last hurrah before he rides off into the sunset.
If Djokovic was ready to retire, he’d have done so after winning gold at the Paris 2024 Olympics but the fact he chose to carry on means he wants more grand slam titles to add to the 24 already in his cabinet.
So, given he’s unlikely to get much better in a tennis context between now and the end of his career, it makes perfect sense to look elsewhere for methods of winning.
And who knows both Djokovic’s game, and that of his opponents, better than Murray?
No one.
Djokovic and Murray first played against each other as children and as professionals, faced each other 36 times, with more than a few of those duels taking place in finals of the biggest tournaments on the planet.
Indeed, it was Djokovic that Murray defeated to win his first Wimbledon crown in 2013.
Rather, Murray will be working with Djokovic on the tactical side of the game, and working to eek out every possible advantage for a player who physically, is slowing down, if only marginally.
Murray has, I’d argue, the best tennis IQ of anyone who’s ever picked up a racquet.
The Scot wasn’t as naturally talented as Roger Federer, yet could compete with the Swiss; he wasn’t as brutally physical as Rafa Nadal, yet could compete with the Spaniard and he wasn’t as fluid a mover as Djokovic, yet could compete with the Serb. And that’s because, while Murray was a supremely talented tennis player, his greatest asset was his mind.
The way Murray could read the game, then work out and execute a gameplan was unparalleled. If he can pass even a fraction of that tennis nous onto Djokovic, it may well be enough to ensure the Serb can add further to his grand slam tally in 2025.
In addition, there’s only a handful of men who really know what it feels like to be in some of the situations Djokovic finds himself in on a tennis court, and Murray’s one of those men.
That ability of Murray to understand and empathise will be vital for Djokovic.
And for Murray, it seems the chance to be on the same side of the net as one of the greatest players ever was just too alluring.
Rumours abound that several top players, male and female, had already asked Murray to join their coaching team – but he turned them down.
Surely only a fool would turn down Djokovic, though?
And this is likely the best of both worlds for Murray.
He’ll be able to dip his toe into coaching without having to be there day in, day out.
Djokovic doesn’t need someone to tell him what to do every moment of every training session so the demands made on Murray will be far less than had he taken on a coaching role with, say, Jack Draper.
This is, it seems, win-win for both Djokovic and Murray.
This attempt at something different in the twilight of his career can’t be anything other than a smart move from Djokovic and for Murray, he’s beginning his foray into coaching at the very top.
The fairytale would be that Djokovic wins an eleventh Australian Open title in January with Murray in his box.
But even if that isn’t the ultimate outcome, there’ll be no convincing me that this isn’t one of the best things to happen in tennis in years.
