Novak Djokovic says Andy Murray was not expecting coaching call: ‘It’s still a shock decision’ | Tennis News

Novak Djokovic has revealed the thinking behind the decision to bring his long-time rival, Andy Murray, into his team as his coach for a short-term agreement that will continue at least until the 2025 Australian Open.
“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,” Djokovic told Sky Sports. “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.”
The 24-time Major winner, currently on a lean run having gone through the 2024 season without winning a single Major, said that Murray was not expecting the call, but his former experience meant he fit the bill.
“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,” Novak Djokovic added.
“It was still a shock decision… 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”
Novak Djokovic said the partnership is exciting for tennis: “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.”
He stressed that the decision is about maximising the tennis left in his body, which has been mostly healthy even through his lean patch. The desire to create more hory remains.
“That’s one of the biggest reasons why I asked Andy to work with me. Because I still have big plans. So as long as that’s the case, I’ll keep going,” Novak Djokovic added.