Andy Roddick believes there was “zero reason” for the player-coach partnership between Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray to be announced shortly after Rafael Nadal’s retirement. 

The former world No 1 suggested Djokovic and Murray wanted to “dominate the headlines”, but he does not think the collaboration is “a vanity project.”

Nadal brought the curtain down on his glittering career at the 2024 Davis Cup Finals in Malaga last week.

The legendary Spaniard was beaten by Botic van de Zandschulp in his final match as Spain fell to an unexpected 2-1 quarter-final defeat to the Netherlands on Tuesday.

Four days after Nadal’s farewell, Djokovic stunned the tennis world by naming Murray as his new coach.

“I am excited to have one of my greatest rivals on the same side of the net, as my coach,” the 37-year-old Serbian said in a video.

“Looking forward to start of the season and competing in Australia alongside Andy with whom I have shared many exceptional moments on the Australian soil.

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“We played each other since we were boys, 25 years of pushing each other to our limits. We had some of the most epic battles in our sport. They called us game changers, risk takers, history makers.

“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 aboard, coach Andy Murray.”

Murray also commented on the partnership, saying: “I’m going to be joining Novak’s team in the off-season, helping him to prepare for the Australian Open.

“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.”

Speaking on an episode of the Andy Roddick podcast, Roddick argued the timing of the announcement was unnecessary.

“I get memes are fun, but there is no part of this that’s a joke. I don’t think it’s a vanity project,” the 2003 US Open champion said.

“Hey, listen, is the attention fun? Is the buzz fun? Is it fun to know that you can create a s**tstorm in the tennis world and override any storyline?

“‘Oh, oh, oh! Rafa retired this weekend? Should we dominate the headlines at the end of that week?’ There was zero reason why this needed to be announced. Zero.”

Djokovic and Murray contested 36 matches between 2006 and 2017 during the pair’s rivalry, with the Serbian holding a 25-11 advantage. Murray called time on his illustrious career after this year’s Olympic Games in Paris.

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