"I want to see Djokovic struggle a little bit" - Ex-ATP pro gives surprise take on Serb's Andy Murray hire

A former British player said that he was 'intrigued' by the power dynamic in the blockbuster partnership between Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray. The ex-pro quipped that he hoped to see the Serb face some adversity so that he could see some 'shouting' and 'screaming'.

It is well known that both the Serb and Murray have shouted at their boxes during intense games throughout their careers. Touching upon the subject during an interview with Eurosport, Tim Henman admitted that he was 'intrigued' by:

"Who's going to shout at who?" he questioned. "I'm definitely intrigued," he added. "That's why I want to see Djokovic struggle a little bit in those early matches so that there's a bit of tension, a bit of adversity, hopefully a bit of shouting and screaming at the box."

He also was eager to see how the three-time Grand Slam champion would handle the Serb's intensity.

"And we can see how Andy Murray deals with it being on the receiving end. But it's going to be fun to watch," he added.

Djokovic split with his longtime coach Goran Ivanisevic in March this year and the Serb has been competing without a coach since. On the other hand, Andy Murray bid tennis adieu at the 2024 Paris Olympics. However, in a surprising turn of events, the two former rivals suddenly announced that they would be joining hands for the 2025 Australian Open, sending shockwaves throughout the tennis world

Djokovic is one of the biggest reasons Murray never got his hands on the Australian Open as the Serb got the better of the Brit in four finals. However, Murray may have a chance to win the Melbourne Major alongside the Serb as his coach in 2025.

"I had to check the date, whether it was an April Fools" - Tim Henman on his reaction to Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic's partnership announcement

The two men after their 2016 French Open final - Source: Getty

Continuing the conversation, Tim Henman said he immediately checked the date after hearing about Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray's partnership.

"Andy's decision to coach Djokovic certainly took me by surprise. When I saw it on the internet, I had to check the date, whether it was an April Fools [joke]," he said.

Henman later mentioned that though it was surprising for the Brit to jump into the coaching scene so soon, it was understandable for Murray to want to coach one of the greatest players of all time.

"At the end of the day, Andy's the one that's got to answer that question, what was the motivation? But I always felt that he would go into coaching. I didn't think it would be this quick, but when you get the opportunity to work with one of the greatest players in the history of our sport, then perhaps he viewed it as too good an opportunity to turn down," Henman added.

Novak Djokovic also opined on why Andy Murray was the 'perfect' coach for him. Both men are well acquainted with each other having battled 36 times, with the Serb leading the proceedings 25-11.