Roger Federer's former coach thinks he knows what Novak Djokovic is doing after hiring Andy Murray as new coach

Roger Federer’s former coach thinks he knows what Novak Djokovic is doing after hiring Andy Murray as new coach

Posted by Admin November 25, 2024 Tennis

Novak Djokovic has already taken a major step towards trying to improve for 2025 by hiring Andy Murray as his new coach.

Murray and Djokovic will work together in the off-season and at the 2025 Australian Open, with the latter having retired from playing in August.

Greg Rusedski is excited to watch Murray and Djokovic link up, with the pair having been rivals on the court for several years.

The Serbian leads the way for men’s Grand Slam titles with 24, but failed to add to his tally in the 2024 season.

His 24 successes are level with Margaret Court in the all-time Grand Slam list, with Djokovic set to be eager to clinch the record at the first possible opportunity.

Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

Paul Annacone says why Novak Djokovic has hired Andy Murray

And that opportunity should arrive at the Australian Open, which gets underway in Melbourne in mid-January.

Roger Federer’s former coach Paul Annacone is now the latest to react to the appointment of Murray, believing that Djokovic’s decision was based on putting people with experience of his situation around him.

READ MORE: Grigor Dimitrov’s coach says what people ‘have got to remember’ as Andy Murray becomes Novak Djokovic’s new coach

“I thought it was fake news,” Annacone told Tennis Channel. “The thing I keep coming back to for Novak is that he takes a lot of pride and a lot of thoughtfulness about having people who can relate to what he has done in his corner. [Andre] Agassi, [Boris] Becker, Murray.

“There are a lot of people he has had around him who have been very familiar with what he has done in his corner. There are not too many people who have done that so this is another route in that direction.”

How can Andy Murray help Novak Djokovic as a coach?

Murray certainly knows all about Djokovic’s strengths and indeed his weaknesses, with the pair having met 36 times in ATP Tour matches, with the latter boasting 25 wins.

Seven of their meetings came in Grand Slam finals, with the Serbian winning five and the Scot winning two.

READ MORE: What Andy Murray used to say to his team about Novak Djokovic as he becomes his new coach

It is, therefore, seemingly a wise decision from the 24-time Grand Slam champion, even with Murray’s lack of coaching experience.

What exact role the three-time Grand Slam winner takes on with his former rival remains to be seen, but such vast tennis experience should help Djokovic regardless.

It is, of course, an intriguing and exciting partnership from the outside, but inside plenty of focus and hard work are needed from both sides.