All eyes will be on Andy Murray at this year’s Australian Open – albeit with the tennis hero starting his first year off court.
After announcing his retirement following a glittering 19 year career, which saw him win three Grand Slam titles as well as Olympic gold in 2012 and 2016, the Dunblane ace has moved into coaching – working with old rival Novak Djokovic. The Serbian star, who is ranked as world number seven, is the final member of a golden generation still playing – with Murray joining Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer in hanging up his racket. And he’ll be determined to secure an 11th Australian Open success in Melbourne later this month.
Whilst Murray and Djokovic were fierce rivals on the court, the pair were always close friends off it – and even teamed up for one of their first Grand Slam events in Melbourne 19 years ago, when both were just teenagers tipped for greatness. After shooting into the public eye during the 2005 season, a floppy-haired Murray was ranked 62nd in the world – 15 places higher than his doubles partner, with the young guns drawn against fifth seeds Fabrice Santoro and Nenad Zimonjic.
There would be no shock from Murray and Djokovic in Melbourne as they went out 7-6, 6-3, but they did catch the eye of pundits for their performance. Clive White in the Telegraph said: “Surely never before have first-round losers in the doubles attracted as much media attention as Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic did.”
Djokovic, who had struggled to find sponsorship and support from his homeland, meanwhile added: “The good thing about his career is that he has great support. A lot of people in Serbia don’t know me. He has really good sponsorship, a management company and all of Great Britain behind him. Everybody expects a lot and they give him a lot. He got a few wildcards last year that helped him. So it’s a much easier way. But he’s a good guy, very talented.”
What has Novak Djokovic said about working with Andy Murray?
Djokovic has already spoken on the benefits he reckons he’s found working with Murray, saying: “He has a unique perspective on my game as one of the greatest rivals I’ve had, he knows the pros and cons of my game He played until recently on the tour, so he knows all the other best players currently in the world, the youngsters, and the weaknesses and strengths in their game. I’m looking forward to it.
“I think he’s bringing a fresh look to my game and I’ll be able to benefit from that, no doubt, on the court. But also that champion mentality he has, I’m sure we’ll match very well.”
What has Andy Murray said about working with Novak Djokovic?
Andy has been typically reserved since the announcement that he would join Djokovic’s team, saying in a statement as the news was announced: “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.”
After being friends and rivals, the pairs relationship took a hit as the battled it out for the biggest prizes in sport – with Murray telling Eurosport in 2016: “I still message him sometimes and we’ve spent a lot of time discussing various issues within tennis and doing what I think was best for the sport, but I don’t think it goes more than that right now.
“I would hope that when we finish playing it will be different. But it’s just hard because playing in big, big matches, with a lot on the line, you can’t be best of friends.”
What history have they got at the Australian Open?
The Australian Open is a tournament that caused Murray heartbreak on more than one occasion. Well, on five separate occasions to be totally accurate – with Djokovic the man responsible for breaking Scottish hearts in all but one of those finals. The pair first met at the last hurdle in 2011, with the Serb running out 6-4, 6-2, 6-3 winner. Two years later a four set epic saw Djokovic eventually triumph 6–7 (2–7), 7–6 (7–3), 6–3, 6–2, before wins 7–6 (7–5), 6–7 (4–7), 6–3, 6–0 in 2015 and 6–1, 7–5, 7–6 (7–3) in 2016 – Murray’s last Australian Open final.
Overall in their careers Djokovic also holds an advantage, 25–11 overall albeit only 11–8 in finals.
Who is the favourite for the Australian Open?
Bookies have Djokovic as third favourite to secure an 11th Australian Open title, behind defending champion and world No.1 Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz. Sinner is given a 6/4 chance of winning the tournament for a second year straight having taken the 2024 title after a gruelling final against Russian Daniil Medvedev. The bookies struggle to split Alcaraz and Djokovic however with odds sitting at 10/3 and 7/2 respectively.
When does the Australian Open start?
The Australian Open gets underway on Sunday January 12. The women’s singles final will take place on Saturday January 25, while the men’s final comes the day after on Sunday January 26.