Tennis expert Mark Petchey says it is an absolute nonsense to even think for a second that Novak Djokovic hiring Andy Murray means the Serb has accepted that his time has gone.
While everyone was stunned by the news of the two former big rivals teaming up for a partnership, the majority were also excited and looking forward to seeing how that would go.
But on the other side, there were also some who didn’t have really positive words about the collaboration, with some questioning how Murray could help Djokovic. Also, some were suggesting that the record 24-time Grand Slam champion needed something to get in the headlines after Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz’s dominant 2024.
Petchey, who worked with the Briton at the start of his career, couldn’t believe some of the comments that were made. And when addressing that, the current tennis commentator and analyst underlined that the Serb made that move only because he feels the former two-time Wimbledon champion could help him win the Australian Open.
“Knowing Andy as well as I do, there’s no question that he will already be going through Novak’s matches from this year with a fine tooth comb, the battles that he’s had with Carlos and Jannik and what’s worked but what hasn’t worked. I’ve seen people say this is Novak at the end of his career kind of winding down potentially by hiring a mate. That’s absolute bull—-. Andy is not wired that way. He wouldn’t let me beat him in a video game. He will not go into Australia with Djokovic if it isn’t to win another Australian Open, his 25th Major and a record 11th Australian Open,” Petchey told Betway.
Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic© YouTube screenshot
Djokovic himself provided a detailed explanation on why he hired Murray
In their statements, both simply acknowledged that they were excited to work together, without explaining much. That led to fans throwing out theories and giving their thoughts on how their partnership saw the light of day.
One of the more popular theories was that Djokovic wanted someone who was competing against the current group of players on the ATP Tour. And if that was the case, Murray – who retired from pro tennis during the Paris Olympics – was the right man for that job.
And last week, the current world No. 7 confirmed that one of the reasons he hired the Briton was because he wanted someone who was in his position. When explaining how their collaboration happened, the 37-year-old also admitted that the former world No. 1 was “caught off guard” when he gave him a call but he knew the Serb was serious and they quickly struck a deal.
“I was going through a process of thinking about next season in the past couple of months and figuring out what I needed as I stopped with my coach Goran Ivanisevic, who I was successful with. I took about six months to think if I really needed a coach and if yes, who is that going to be and the profile of the coach,” Djokovic told Sky Sports.
“We were going through different names and I realized at this point the perfect coach would be someone who has been through the experiences I have been through. A multiple Grand Slam winner and I was thinking about a few and the Andy Murray discussion appeared on the table with my team. I decided I would give him a call and see how it goes. It caught him off guard a little bit as he wasn’t expecting it.
“We connected really fast and he accepted it after a few days. I can’t be more excited about it. This collaboration is a surprise to me as well, to everyone, but it is exciting for tennis. He has been one of my greatest rivals, we are at the same age. We played in all the biggest stages in our sport so I can’t wait to be out there next season.”
Can Murray win the Australian Open as a coach after Djokovic didn’t allow him to do so as a player?
Ironically, the Australian Open was the Grand Slam where the Briton made the most finals – five – but he concluded his career without a title at Melbourne Park.
After losing to Roger Federer in the 2010 Australian Open final, Murray made four other finals in Melbourne – in 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2015. In all of those four finals, he clashed Djokovic and lost every time.
In the past, the Serb prevented the Briton from winning an Australian Open. Now, he will be hoping that his former rival can help him return to Slam-winning form and collect his 25th Slam in January.
Tennis World USA