Andy Murray noticed Novak Djokovic hanging out with F1 star George Russell and figured out it was a perfect way to drop a hilarious joke, telling the Serb he was supposed to be practicing.
When the record 24-time Grand Slam champion announced the newly retired Briton as his new coach for the Australian Open, the tennis community went into a frenzy. And for a good season since this is undoubtedly one of the most interesting and exciting player/coach pairings in the 21st century.
On Friday, Djokovic visited Mercedes’ F1 team and spent some time with their star Russell.
“Idemo Nole (Let’s go Nole). Ace to welcome you into the team today, @djokernole,” the post’s caption read.
Andy Murray comment on Novak Djokovic post© Instagram
In the comment section, Murray wrote: “He should be on the practice court.”
How Murray, Djokovic announced the news?
In mid-November, Serbian Davis Cup team captain Viktor Troicki told local reporters that something big was brewing and that he heard the record 24-time Grand Slam champion was about to hire a big name. However, no one could have predicted that it would be the former three-time Major winner who just retired few months earlier.
“I’m going to be joining Novak’s team in the off season, helping him to prepare for the Australian Open. I’m really excited for it and looking forward to spending time on the same side of the net as Novak for a change, helping him to achieve his goals,” Murray said in a statement last weekend.
For the good portion of their careers, Djokovic and the Briton were competing against each other at the highest level and often meeting in the latter stages of Grand Slam and Masters tournaments. Only at the Australian Open – where they are set to work together – they met in four finals, with the Serb winning each one of them.
“I am excited to have one of my greatest rivals on the same side of the net as my coach. Looking forward to the start of the season and competing in Australia alongside Andy, with whom I have shared many exceptional moments on Australian soil,” the current world No. 7 said.
Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic© YouTube screenshot
Djokovic explains his decision to hire Murray
When the news dropped, there were mixed reactions but about one thing everyone agreed – it was an extremely exciting and entertaining collaboration. On one side, some thought that the Briton could help the Serb in the tactical part and figure out how to compete better against Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz next year. Also, some thought Djokovic wanted someone who competed against the current group of players.
On the other side, some had some strong but also insulting words, with some even suggesting that the 37-year-old hired Murray to make the headlines and draw the interest that he lost with the rises of Sinner and Alcaraz. However, the majority had no doubt that there was a good reason why the former world No. 1 made that move.
Now, Djokovic himself confirmed the first theory – he wanted someone who was in his position and could feel and understand him.
“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.”
After not winning a Grand Slam this year and seeing Sinner and Alcaraz completely dominate the Grand Slam scene, Djokovic will definitely be determined to make a splash at the Australian Open. And that would be a perfect way to kick off his partnership with Murray.
Tennis World USA