Novak Djokovic reveals why it's 'strange' to have Andy Murray as his coach

Novak Djokovic started his 2025 Australian Open campaign with a win over Nishesh Basavareddy in four sets, and after the match, he talked a little bit about Andy Murray. The former player is the current coach of Djokovic after he was appointed by the former World No. 1 in the offseason.

It was huge news in the tennis world and rather shocking because nobody really saw it coming. Murray had hinted at possibly coaching in the future, but having to coach Djokovic for his first assignment is quite something.

It's still a fresh relationship according to Djokovic, who spoke about the weirdness of having Murray in his box after having played him on the very same Rod Laver Arena court many times in the past decade and more.

"I did practice sessions with him the whole week before today’s match. But you know it’s different in an official match, center court night session. The court on which we have faced each other quite a few times... That’s why it was a little bit strange to see that but not to repeat myself, I'm obviously enjoying myself, spending time with him talking about tennis. Just picking his brain and understanding how he sees tennis." - Djokovic during the post-match press conference. (07:07 onwards)

There is a lot of curiosity in the tennis world about this pairing and how things have been going so far, with Djokovic sharing a bit of insight. It's mostly them just picking each other's brains and talking a lot about tennis because they're both historically great players who have some differing approaches.

"I ask him questions to see how he sees my game. He asks me constantly how I feel and what I’m going through. It’s still that initial period of getting to know each other," Djokovic added.

So far it's gone well at the Australian Open but it's still early days as he's only through to the second round.

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"He cares a lot" - Djokovic on how Andy Murray motivates him

Many analysts have pointed to a lack of motivation as the culprit behind Djokovic's minor decline last year. The Serbian alluded to it himself a couple of times, but with the inclusion of Murray into his team, it seems like the motivation is back.

In his post-match press conference after the first-round win over Basavareddy, Djokovic acknowledged that Murray cares a lot, and that gives him motivation to keep pushing forward. He said (8:27 onwards):

"At times it’s not necessary for us to exchange words because we know what happened on the court, whether it’s in the match or in the practice session. He’s constantly supporting and encouraging... He cares a lot and he’s putting a lot of energy into trying to make me feel good on the court. That’s what I need, honestly... Just looking for that extra motivation and I definitely have it with Andy."

Murray has always been a highly motivated individual. Even when he was playing his last event at the Paris Olympics, he seemed quite motivated, and that's why this pairing is so intriguing.