"Easily tennis’ wildest coaching news";"Carlos Alcaraz should hire Rafael Nadal now" - Fans react to Novak Djokovic's Andy Murray coach appointment

Tennis fans recently reacted to the news of Novak Djokovic appointing Andy Murray as his new coach. This move came after the Serb ended his six-year partnership with coach Goran Ivanisevic earlier this year.

A disappointing start to the 2024 season saw Djokovic fail to defend his Australian Open title, losing to eventual champion Jannik Sinner in the semifinals and then falling to Italian 'lucky loser' Luca Nardi in the third round of the Indian Wells Masters. Following this, the former World No.1 had announced his split with Ivaniseic.

Following the conclusion of the 2024 season, Novak Djokovic took to social media to share a video announcing Andy Murray's addition to his team as his coach. Murray, who retired from professional tennis after competing in the 2024 Paris Olympics, will be lending his expertise to the 24-time Grand Slam champion for the 2025 season.

“We played each other since we were boys. 25 years of being rivals, of pushing each other beyond our limits. We had some of the most epic battles in our sport . They called us game changers, risk takers, history makers,” Djokovic said .

“I thought our story may be over, turns out it has one final chapter. It's time for one of my toughest opponents to step into my corner . Welcome aboard coach, Andy Murray,” he added.

Tennis fans were delighted by the news of Murray joining Djokovic's team. They took to social media to express their thoughts on the same.

One fan even speculated that the Serb might retire from tennis after his stint with the three-time Grand Slam champion.

“Oh he’s definitely hanging it up soon. Ladies we will be free soon!" a fan posted.

Some fans even humorously suggested that other players, like Carlos Alcaraz, should follow suit by hiring recently retired Rafael Nadal.

“Carlitos should Hire Nadal as coach now 😛 ," a fan wrote.

“If you can't beat them, join them 😅 ," a fan posted.

“Wow, you will make a great partnership. 2 of the most determined players ever with that never give up attitude and chase every ball no matter what. Good luck together," a fan wrote.

Many fans stated that Novak Djokovic appointing Andy Murray as his coach was one of the "wildest coaching news" they have learnt in a long time.

“This is why I love tennis, its just so batsh*t crazy 😂 😂 ," a fan posted.

“Doubles partners to coach and player," a fan wrote.

“Easily tennis’s wildest coaching news of my lifetime. The most important thing for Novak moving forward is spark. This is fricken fireworks," a fan posted.

A look into Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray's head-to-head record

Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open 2017 Tennis Tournament - Source: Getty

Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray have competed against each other a total of 36 times on the ATP Tour, with the Serb holding the advantage in their head-to-head record by winning 25 of their matches.

Of these 36 encounters, 10 took place on the Grand Slam stage. They have faced each other five times at the Australian Open, twice at both the French Open and the US Open, and only once at Wimbledon. In these 10 match-ups, the 24-time Grand Slam champion emerged victorious on eight occasions.

The duo also faced each other in the semifinals of the 2012 London Olympics, where the latter secured a 7-5, 7-5 victory. Murray eventually went on to defeat Roger Federer in the final to claim the gold medal.

Their last meeting in the ATP Tour was in the 2017 Qatar Open final, where the Serb emerged victorious with a score of 6-3, 5-7, 6-4.