John McEnroe has a special name for Andy Murray after his appointment as Novak Djokovic’s coach
Andy Murray is not expected to be present for Novak Djokovic's first ATP tournament of 2025 at the Brisbane International.
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John McEnroe, Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic (via X)
Tennis legend John McEnroe has called Andy Murray a “tennis geek” as he is set to take over as the coach of Novak Djokovic. Murray taking over as Djokovic’s coach remains one of the biggest storylines of 2024, despite being announced in late November, just a few days after the tennis season ended.
McEnroe, who worked with Murray in commentary on the BBC at Wimbledon a few years ago, believes that Djokovic has a lot to learn from Murray despite his vast experience. He compared this appointment to the hiring of Ivan Lendl as Murray’s coach.
I remember when Murray was being coached by Ivan Lendl and someone said to me in Australia, ‘Have you heard Murray is going to be coached by Lendl?’ and I said, ‘Oh my God, I can’t believe he hired Lendl.’ I thought, ‘This is going to work. And it has. Murray is going to bring all his knowledge, this guy is a tennis geek and he loves it. He’s going to leave no stone unturned for Novak, just like he did for himself. This guy gave 120%, he gave everything he had. Think about the pressure he was under when he won Wimbledon.
John McEnroe on Served with Andy Roddick podcast
With Lendl, Murray’s game reached new heights. The British star won two Olympic Singles Gold Medals, three Grand Slam titles, the ATP Finals, the Davis Cup, and the world No. 1 ranking. The pair enjoyed three different stints together before Murray eventually retired in August this year.
Djokovic now finds himself in unfamiliar territory after going a season without a Grand Slam title for only the second time since 2011. His only highlight of the season was winning the Olympic Singles Gold medal in Paris in August.
Novak Djokovic’s preparations for the Australian Open revealed
The 2025 Australian Open is just a month away, and three players are strong contenders for the men’s title. Novak Djokovic is one of them, as he aims for his 25th Grand Slam trophy. Andy Murray is now part of the Serb’s coaching team. Carlos Alcaraz is also a key competitor, hoping to win his first Australian Open and complete his collection of Grand Slam titles.
Djokovic will begin his 2025 season at the Brisbane International. This will be his second time playing the ATP 250 tournament, with his first appearance being in 2009. Other top players like Nick Kyrgios, Holger Rune, Grigor Dimitrov, and Frances Tiafoe will join him in Brisbane. Kyrgios is returning after barely playing in the last two years.
It is not yet confirmed if Murray will join Djokovic in Brisbane or wait until Melbourne. Before the Australian Open, the Serbian will also take part in charity matches during the ‘Opening Week’ events. These matches are a warm-up for players ahead of the tournament.
As of now, Djokovic is set to be seeded seventh at the Australian Open. Jannik Sinner and Alcaraz will not play any matches before the tournament. Both players had a busy 2024 season. Sinner helped Italy defend their Davis Cup title and has already started training in Dubai for the new season.
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Fahad Hamid
(649 Articles Published)