Retired men’s tennis ‘big four’ Andy Murray
‘One pot meal’ until the Australian Open in January next year
Novak Djokovic (7th place, Serbia) announced on the 24th that he had appointed Andy Murray (Great Britain), his rival during his career, as his new coach.
Djokovic said on social media that day, “I appointed Murray, who was one of my strong rivals, as my coach,” and added, “Now, we will be together on one side of the net.” The period is until the Australian Open in January 2025. Murray also expressed his enthusiasm through social media, saying, “I will help Djokovic achieve his goal.”
Djokovic and Murray have competed as one of the ‘Big Four’ in men’s tennis since the mid-2000s, along with Roger Federer (Switzerland) and Rafael Nadal (Spain). Both were born in 1987 and are the same age. Murray retired after this year’s Paris Olympics, and Djokovic is the only one among the ‘Big Four’ who will remain active in the 2025 season.
It is known that Djokovic and Murray first faced each other when they were 11 years old, and Murray won. On the adult stage, Djokovic was ahead of his opponents with 25 wins and 11 losses. Murray reached the Australian Open final five times and finished second in all of them, losing to Djokovic in four of them. This is why Djokovic said, “My head and I have had many special times in Australia.” Still, Murray defeated Djokovic in the finals of the 2012 U.S. Open and 2013 Wimbledon, two of his three major singles titles.
Currently, Djokovic is tied for first place with Margaret Court (retired, Australia) in the category of most wins with 24 major singles wins. Djokovic broke up with coach Goran Ivanisevic, whom he had been with for the past six years, in March of this year. Since then, an official coach has not yet been appointed. Although he did not win a major championship this year, he achieved a ‘career golden slam’ by winning a gold medal in singles at the Paris Olympics.
The 2025 Australian Open, in which Djokovic and Murray form a ‘one team’, will open in Melbourne, Australia on January 12 next year.
Reporter Jo Soo-young [email protected]
