Coach Andy Murray reflects on the ‘unfortunate’ injury to Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open
Andy Murray was signed up to become Novak Djokovic's coach atleast under the end of the Australian Open 2025.
Follow Us
Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic (Image via ATP/X)
Former World No. 1 and three-time Grand Slam champion Andy Murray shared his thoughts on Novak Djokovic‘s injury at the Australian Open. The Serbian legend could only complete one set in the first semifinal on Friday, January 24, against Alexander Zverev before retiring from the match.
Murray described it as a missed opportunity for Djokovic, who was chasing his 25th Grand Slam title and an 11th at Melbourne Park. The British icon noted that Djokovic had faced similar challenges in the past and believed he could have pushed through the injury at Rod Laver Arena.
Yeah, it’s hard. When you get to that stage of the tournament, you feel like you’re getting very close to something very special, and it’s unfortunate if the body’s not responding in the way that you would like. With Novak, there’s always hope with him because of how great a player he is and has found ways out of difficult situations before. It just wasn’t to be this time.
Andy Murray said on the Australian Open website
This marks Djokovic’s second consecutive semifinal defeat at the Australian Open. Last year, he lost to Jannik Sinner in four sets, with Sinner going on to win his first Grand Slam title in Melbourne.
Murray’s future as Djokovic’s coach remains unclear. The two-time Olympic gold medalist was brought on as the Serbian’s coach on a short-term deal, lasting at least until the end of Djokovic’s Australian Open campaign.
Andy Murray looks back on Novak Djokovic’s win over Carlos Alcaraz
Andy Murray reflected on the incredible tennis Novak Djokovic displayed in his Australian Open quarterfinal against Carlos Alcaraz. The World No. 7 defeated the young Spanish star 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 in a highly physical match.
I got to witness some amazing tennis, and one of the best matches that I’ve seen live against [Carlos] Alcaraz. It was a cool moment. I think everyone was pretty pumped after the match and considering how he was feeling but then like the way that he played. It was unreal tennis, [an] incredible performance. And yeah, we were all pumped at the side.
Andy Murray said to the Australian Open website
Djokovic struggled physically in the latter stages of the first set and even took a medical timeout. However, after the break, he moved better and managed to handle the challenges Alcaraz brought to the court.
This was their first meeting since the Olympic gold medal match in Paris last year. Djokovic won in two tiebreak sets to complete the Calendar Year Golden Slam.
After the victory, Djokovic celebrated enthusiastically, walking straight to Murray and patting him on the shoulder. The win improved Djokovic’s head-to-head record against Alcaraz to 5-3.
Stay Updated!
Fahad Hamid
(660 Articles Published)