Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray officially made their debut as a team on Monday at the Australian Open.

Murray is coaching Djokovic through the tournament as the Serb bids for a record 25th Grand Slam singles title. The duo hit the practice courts on Monday ahead of the start of the “Happy Slam” on Jan. 11.

Djokovic, 37, was making his first public appearance since losing to American Reilly Opelka last week in the quarterfinals in Brisbane. The Serbian legend will learn his first-round opponent when the draw is made Thursday at 2:30 p.m. local time.

“We played each other since we were boys — 25 years of being rivals, of pushing each other beyond our limits. We had some of the most epic battles in our sport. They called us game-changers, risk-takers, history-makers,” Djokovic posted on social media in November when he announced Murray as his coach.

“I thought our story may be over. Turns out, it has one final chapter. It’s time for one of my toughest opponents to step into my corner. Welcome on board, Coach — Andy Murray.”

Both men are 37 and were born a week apart in May 1987. They started facing each other as juniors and wound up meeting 36 times as professionals, with Djokovic holding a 25-11 advantage.

Not everyone is a fan of the partnership.

Alexander Bublik, a Kazakhstani player with four career titles who has never advanced past the fourth round of a major, recently said of the Djokovic/Murray partnership:

“These are attempts to cling to something that no longer exists, to some echoes of the past. I think this is a problem. I hope that it will not be like that for me, but I can’t say for sure. Maybe at 36, I will go to the Challenger in Bangkok, but I still hope that I will leave with a calm soul.”

Djokovic split from former coach Goran Ivanisevic in March, and played the rest of the season without a full-time coach. He failed to win a major in 2024, but did win his first Olympic gold medal in singles at the Paris Olympics.

Djokovic leads Murray 11-8 all-time, and 8-2 in Grand Slams.

Djokovic beat Murray four times in the Australian Open final alone — in 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2016.

Two of the most important victories of Murray’s career came with Djokovic on the other side of the net. One was in the 2012 U.S. Open final, when Murray claimed his first Grand Slam title. The other was in the 2013 Wimbledon final, when Murray became the first British man in 77 years to win the singles championship at the All England Club.

“I’m going to be joining Novak’s team in the offseason, helping him to prepare for the Australian Open,” Murray said in November “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.”