Appointing Andy Murray as his new coach is a mark of the ambition Novak Djokovic still has in the sport.

With the addition of Murray to his team, Djokovic believes he can still be a contender for major titles.

Djokovic has brought in one of his biggest rivals to join his team, initially on a short-term arrangement for pre-season training ahead of Murray accompanying him at the Australian Open next year.

In an exclusive interview with Sky Sports News, Djokovic explained why he chose Murray to guide him in the final stages of his career.

“I was going through a process of thinking about next season and trying to figure out what I need at this stage of my career,” he said. “Because 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 really need a coach, and if yes, who that’s going to be and the profile of the coach.”

Ultimately, even though he is newly retired and has not coached before, Murray fit the bill perfectly.

Djokovic explained: “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, possible multiple Grand Slam winner, former No 1.

“I was thinking about different people and then an Andy Murray discussion appeared on the table with me and my team.

“It was still a shock decision.

“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, the winner of 24 Grand Slams, has no apparent intention of joining Murray in retirement in the near future.

“We all know that we all have to stop and say goodbye at some point to what we’ve done all of our lives,” he said. “[With] Andy and Rafa [Nadal], we knew that the end was coming. But both of them saying farewell to tennis in the same year, it’s a shock for all of us. It’s a shock for the tennis world because they are legends in our sport.

“I still will try to go strong because I feel like my body is serving me well. I still have motivation to win Grand Slams, make more history.”

He added: “That’s one of the biggest reasons why I asked Andy to work with me. Because I still have big plans. So as long as that’s the case, I’ll keep going.

“I don’t have any date in my mind or any result after I achieve it potentially that I’m going to say goodbye and retire.

“I’ll keep going as much as I feel like I can be one of the candidates for the biggest titles in sport.”

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