Novak Djokovic admitted that he was thrilled by the possibility of two former world number one players working together, even though his choice to partner with recently retired opponent Andy Murray was definitely unexpected.
At the Australian Open next year, Murray agreed to coach the 24-time Grand Slam champion after joining Djokovic’s team.
Djokovic said: “I was going through a process of thinking about next season in the last couple of months, and trying to figure out what I need at this stage of my career… 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 (actually) need a coach, and if yes, who that’s going to be and the profile of the coach.”
Strict requirements for a new coach
According to Djokovic, he and his team evaluated a number of applicants for the new coach position, but the standards remained high.
Djokovic shared: “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, possibly a multiple Grand Slam winner, former number one.”
He added: “I was thinking about different people and then Andy Murray discussion appeared on the table with me and my team. (I decided) to give him a call and see how it goes… 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,” Djokovic declared.
Next season, Djokovic will aim for a record-extending 11th Australian Open title under the guidance of the three-time Grand Slam champion and two-time Wimbledon winner Murray.
Source: CNA