Andy Murray steps into the role of trainer for the first time as tennis gets its Rocky 3 moment, but will this change help Djokovic regain his most prolific crown.
In some ways, 2024 was an excellent year for Novak Djokovic. If you had told the Serbian great that come the end of 2024, he would be title-less on the ATP tour but would claim an Olympic Gold Medal, the only accolade missing from his otherwise sparkling trophy cabinet, he’d probably have taken it.
That said, if there’s one thing we know about Djokovic, it’s that he despises losing.
When it comes to Djokovic, you would never say that he was as beautiful a tennis player as Federer or hit the ball as well as Nadal, but yet he will end his career with more Slams than both of them. The reason for this has always been his tenacity and grit. He prides himself on his ability to use other’s doubts to fuel him to do great things, and he will have plenty of this doubt to thrive off heading into 2025.
Djokovic has had to sit by and watch as two young superstars, Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, swept the Grand Slams in 2024, winning two apiece, and he will be desperate to get back to winning Grand Slams in 2025.
Everybody knew that Djokovic needed a new coach after Goran Ivanisevic left the post in March of this year, but I’m sure few thought that it would be one of his greatest rivals, Sir Andy Murray.
Novak is no stranger to having former Grand Slam champions in his corner, having previously been coached by the aforementioned Goran Ivanisevic, Andre Agassi, and perhaps most successfully, Boris Becker. But Murray, fresh off retirement only four months ago, is a surprise appointment.
That said, despite being rivals, the pair have always been good friends, going all the way back to their junior days. So, is this new partnership going to deliver the return to the top that Djokovic craves?
Well, if anything, Murray’s past rivalry with Djokovic should prove a positive, as Murray will know how Djokovic is likely to think and behave during matches and should know the best ways to channel this into a winning formula.
The pair met in 7 Grand Slam finals at all four venues over the course of their careers, and there are likely to be few other people in the world who understand Djokovic’s game as well as Murray.
Former coach to Andy Murray, Jamie Delgado, believes that Murray will make an excellent coach, telling BBC Sport, "Andy's very sharp with the data side of things and the strategy.".
It remains to be seen how well Murray performs as coach, but something drastic is needed if Djokovic’s tour form is to turn around. The Serb currently sits at 7th in the world, meaning that he will likely have a tough draw in Melbourne.
The practice sessions between the two will likely attract as much fan attention as some of the actual matches, and the pair will be at the centre of the majority of discussion surrounding the Australian Open.
If Murray is as good with data and strategy as Delgado suggests, then he could be a valuable asset to the Djokovic camp. However, I feel that Djokovic’s problems are beyond the control of any coach. As the great Rocky Balboa once said, time is undefeated and eventually defeats us all.
It may be hard for Djokovic to accept, but the fact of the matter is that the youth of Alcaraz and Sinner has led to them surpassing him. Even with a great rival finally on his side of the net, the invaluable ally of youth will always be out of reach.
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