Andy Murray willing to take whatever Novak Djokovic throws at him in Melbourne
The Scot will sit in his former rival’s coaching box for the first time at the Australian Open.
Andy Murray insists he will have no problem with being yelled at by Novak Djokovic.
The partnership between the two former rivals at the Australian Open presents a fascinating dynamic, with Murray having succeeded Goran Ivanisevic as the Serbian’s coach.
Ivanisevic made no attempt to hide the difficulties of the role, including the behaviour of Djokovic towards his team during stressful moments of matches.
Murray, similarly, was frequently criticised for his on-court ranting, and his former coaches are among those waiting eagerly to see how the Scot finds the boot being on the other foot.
“Of course I’ve thought about it,” said the 37-year-old, who told a small group of reporters at Melbourne Park that he expects his reaction to be one of empathy.
“I would think that I’d be one of the people that would maybe, hopefully, understand that side of things. I know it’s not easy out there, and it’s stressful, and at times he’s going to want to vent towards his team and his box.
“Providing that he’s giving his best effort and trying as hard as he can, I’m absolutely fine with him expressing himself how he wants.”
Djokovic’s announcement that he would be working with Murray took the whole sporting world by surprise, and the Scot was equally shocked when the idea was first presented to him.
Murray said: “I was enjoying being away from the tour and I really hadn’t watched much tennis. I had not missed playing or competing or being on a tennis court at all.
“I was actually playing golf. We’d actually been exchanging messages. Novak had messaged me just wanting to chat.
“I was on the 17th hole of the golf course and the guy I was playing with said to me, ‘Do you know what’s next’? I was like, ‘No, not really’. He said ‘Do you have any plans to do any coaching’? And I said, ‘Honestly, I can’t think of anything worse to do right now’.
“And then 30 minutes later I was in the car and I called Novak, and then we had a conversation and he asked if I would be interested in helping, which I obviously wasn’t expecting.
“I said to him, ‘Look, I need to think about it and talk to my family.’ So I spoke to them and, after a couple of days, I thought that it was a pretty unique opportunity and experience.”
Murray has spent a lot of time on the golf course since his retirement following the Olympics last summer, while he also spoke about the desire to spend more time with his young family.
He was unable to join Djokovic at the warm-up tournament in Brisbane last week because of a family skiing holiday, but Murray insisted going back on the road had not caused marital tensions.
“My wife was very supportive of it,” he said. “I was actually going to be in Australia anyway for a few days during the tournament. She was surprised, obviously, that he’d asked me, but she was really supportive of it.”
Murray has been a vocal presence on court with Djokovic during practice sessions and, while he has no previous experience, he believes he has a lot to offer to help the former world number one get back to the very top.
“I would hope I would have a decent knowledge of the players that are playing just now, and an understanding of what the game is like right now,” said Murray.
“The understanding of the game and the strategy and the tactical side of things was a strength of mine. Hopefully, as a coach, I’m able to see the game through Novak’s eyes and help him with the right strategy on the court.
“And, if it was something I did longer term, I would hope I would improve as a coach as well: understanding when to speak, when to shut up, how best to communicate with him and his team.
“The last thing I want to do is come in and try and change everything and say, ‘You’re doing this wrong, you’re doing that wrong’. It’s about making small changes to things and trying to help him and improve with the whole team.”
Murray spent a week and a half with Djokovic in Spain during pre-season but for now the arrangement only extends until the end of the Australian Open, which the Serbian will be bidding to win for an 11th time.
Murray has not ruled out a more permanent deal going forward, adding: “It’s not the usual kind of set-up. So it made sense to trial it and see if it works. And then we said we’d make a more definitive decision after the tournament.”
What is already clear is that Murray will take the intensity and professionalism that were such hallmarks of his playing career into the coaching arena.
Asked how enjoyable he had found the new experience, Murray said: “At times it’s very enjoyable. But high performance is not supposed to be laughs and jokes and messing around.
“In all the times I’ve been on tour, I haven’t seen that from any of the best players in the world. I’ve seen it from some of the lower-ranked players, and that’s one of the reasons why they’re not there.
“It’s demanding, but it’s extremely rewarding when you make a breakthrough in a practice and something starts to feel a little bit better. That’s exciting.
“Obviously, I expect when the matches start, it is stressful. When you’re trying to achieve great things, it’s not easy. But the rewards at the end of it can be great. And that’s something that I’m looking forward to.”
