“Andy Murray might have the highest tennis IQ” - Andy Roddick on Novak Djokovic drawing 'value’ from Brit’s 'struggle' in coaching partnership

Andy Roddick has hailed Andy Murray as the 'highest tennis IQ' he had come across while discussing the Brit's latest partnership with his former rival Novak Djokovic. He also shared his opinion on why the Serb would 'value' the Brit's presence in his team.

The tennis world went into a frenzy when Djokovic announced that he would be bringing his former rival Andy Murray on board for the upcoming 2025 Australian Open where he will look to clinch an unprecedented 25th Major.

The blockbuster partnership sparked discussions among the tennis fraternity, with fans and analysts trying to analyze the Serb's reasoning. On his podcast, Served with Andy Roddick, the American discussed how Murray's 'struggle' could add 'value' to the 24-time Major champion.

This was a reference to the Brit's hip injury, which forced him to undergo multiple surgeries and also work with a metal hip for the final stretch of his career.

"What did Murray spend the last five years of his career doing? Problem-solving for what you've lost, right?"

"And to various degrees of whatever, but like that struggle that Murray went through is of value to Novak at this age. Like me saying Novak at 38 isn't as good as Novak at 32 shouldn't be controversial, right? He ticks a certain way," he added.

Roddick also hailed Andy Murray as the 'highest tennis IQ' he had come across and also added how this helped him compete against the Big 3 of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic.

"But what Murray’s gone through, and I've said on this podcast before, I think Murray might have the highest tennis IQ that I've seen and been around. He competed with these kinds of superheroes without the biggest shot on the court without being the fastest one of them, still moves great, but plays well for extended positions. He's a master of nuance," he said.

---

"I realized that the perfect coach for me at this point would be someone that has been through the experiences" - Novak Djokovic on hiring Andy Murray

In Picture: Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray (Source: Getty)

While discussing his blockbuster partnership with Andy Murray with SkySports, Novak Djokovic explained why he thought the Brit would be the best fit for his coach.

"I took about six months to really think about, if I need a coach and if yes who that’s going to be and the profile of the coach. So we’re going through different names and I realized that the perfect coach for me at this point would be someone that has been through the experiences that I’m going through,” the Serb said.

The 23-time Major champion then talked about how he made the call to Murray to make his offer, which the Brit accepted a few days later. The Serb admitted that he was also surprised, like the rest of the tennis fraternity.

Despite being a three-time Grand Slam champion, Andy Murray never won the Australian Open despite reaching the finals on five occasions. He will now have a chance to win the Melbourne Major as the coach of Djokovic, who is a record 10-time winner of the event.