It will be all business when Andy Murray coaches Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open.

While the partnership between two of the biggest rivals in recent men’s tennis history has awakened feelings of shock, nostalgia and at times confusion, Murray is focused on something else. Two people who know each other’s tennis inside out should make a good partnership, and two people who know elite tennis inside out should be capable of great things over hijinks.

Murray is enjoying the experience of working with Djokovic but there is no doubt as to the seriousness of what both are trying to do and to the dedication that it takes, which, Murray believes, some players simply cannot provide.

“At times it’s very enjoyable,” Murray says. “But high performance is not supposed to be like laughs and jokes and messing around. It isn’t about that. In all the times I’ve been on tour, I haven’t seen that from any of the best players in the world. I’ve seen it from some of the lower ranked players, and that’s one of the reasons why they’re not there.

“The best players take it seriously and they want to improve, and it’s not always easy. It’s demanding, but it’s extremely rewarding when you make a breakthrough in a practice and something starts to feel a little bit better. That’s exciting.

“Obviously I expect when the matches start, the tournament starts, it is stressful. When you’re trying to achieve great things, it’s not easy. But the rewards at the end of it can be great. And that’s something that I’m looking forward to.”

What we have all been waiting for…

Andy Murray has arrived in Melbourne to begin his partnership with Novak Djokovic 🤝#AO2025 pic.twitter.com/sk8tf4CwiM

— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 7, 2025

Both players in November confirmed that Murray, who only called time on his playing career back in August, would join up with Djokovic to help aid his attempts to win an 11th title in Melbourne and a record 25th Grand Slam.

Murray, 37, had no plans to coach but a surprise call from Djokovic offering a “unique opportunity” soon changed his plans.

“So I was actually playing golf, and we’d actually been exchanging messages,” Murray says. “Novak had messaged me, just wanting to chat. It was just before Shanghai, and we’d exchanged messages and missed calls and stuff. Then eventually, I was on the 17th hole of the golf course, and the guy I was playing with said to me, ‘Do you know what’s next?’. I was like, ‘No, not really’.

“He said ‘Do you have any plans to do any coaching?’ And I said, ‘Honestly, I can’t think of anything worse to do right now’. And then 30 minutes later, I was in the car and I called Novak, and then we had a conversation, and he asked if I would be interested in helping, which I obviously wasn’t expecting. I said to him, ‘Look, I need to think about it and talk to my family.’

“So I spoke to them, and after a couple of days, I thought that it was a pretty unique opportunity and experience. And I thought it would be a good idea to try it together, and spend some time in the off-season through Australia and see how it goes for both of us, because it’s a little bit different. It’s not the usual kind of set-up. So it made sense to trial it and see if it works. And then we said we’d make a more definitive decision after the tournament.”

The 10-time champion begins against American wildcard Nishesh Basavareddy, before a tough-looking draw that could throw up a last-eight meeting with fellow tournament favorite Carlos Alcaraz.

Murray is working with Djokovic in Melbourne (David Gray/AFP via Getty Images)

Murray says his wife Kim was “surprised” when he told her but “very supportive” as he plots this next step, for however long it may be.

The former world number one’s own playing experience, he believes, will stand him in good stead to offer a particular perspective even though he is not planning on lobbying for sweeping alterations to the Serb’s game.

“Because of the situation and how unusual it is, a lot of the talk is about my relationship with Novak,” Murray says. “There’s a big team of people around him that are helping him, trying to get him in shape and prepared and motivated to win. They have just as an important role, as I do in that.

“They’ve all done brilliant work, and have worked with him for an unbelievably long time. The last thing I want to do is come in and try and change everything and say ‘You’re doing this wrong, you’re doing that wrong’.

“It’s about making small changes to things and trying to help him and improve with the whole team.”

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(Top photo: William West/AFP via Getty Images)