 "Novak Djokovic non-committal on coach Andy Murray's extension: 'We both need to cool off a bit'")
Novak Djokovic is set to have a crucial meeting with Andy Murray to discuss the future of their trial partnership after his exit from the Australian Open 2025. Three-time Grand Slam champion Murray was Djokovic’s coach at the Australian Open 2025 but the arrangement was only till the Grand Slam lasted.
On Friday, the 24-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic was forced to retire from his semi-final against Alexander Zverev due to a tear in his left thigh . He had suffered the injury during his gruelling win over Carlos Alcaraz in the quarter-finals .
Djokovic: ‘My feedback for Murray is positive’
After his defeat to Germany’s Zverev, Djokovic said that he is not clear what will be the future of his partnership with Murray but will soon be discussing the matter with the Briton. The 37-year-old tennis star added that he has positive feedback to share with Murray.
“I don’t know. We both were disappointed with what just happened, so we didn’t talk about future steps. We were so fresh off the court. I will definitely have a chat with Andy, and thank him for being here,” Djokovic told the reporters.
“I will give my feedback, which is obviously positive, and see how he feels before we take the next step. We are still hot-headed and disappointed. So, it’s kind of hard to switch the page and start talking about what the next steps are. I think we both need to cool off a bit, and then we’ll have a chat,” he added.
Murray said that he was disappointed to see how Djokovic’s campaign ended in Melbourne.
“It was an unfortunate way to finish,” said Murray. “The match that he played against Alcaraz was some incredible tennis, amazing to watch from the side from that close, it was an amazing performance. He’d been getting gradually better as the tournament was progressing, I think. It’s obviously a really unfortunate way to finish.”
“It’s hard. When you get to that stage of the tournament, you feel like you’re getting very close to something very special, and it’s unfortunate if the body’s not responding in the way that you would would like,” Murray added.
“With Novak there’s always hope with him because of how great a player he is and has found ways out of difficult situations before. It just wasn’t to be this time.”
Novak: ‘I feel more and more connected with Andy’
One of the most iconic images of Djokovic-Murray partnership has been the former giving his coach a hug after beating Alcaraz.
"Novak Djokovic hugs his coach Andy Murray" isn't a sentence I ever thought I'd be writing but here we are. 💕 pic.twitter.com/WVBzDywxlg
— Scott Barclay (@BarclayCard18) January 21, 2025
Djokovic earlier had also praised Murray for his commitment to the player’s cause of winning a record 25th Grand Slam and added that he feels “connected” to the former Wimbledon champion.
“I feel more and more connected with Andy every day. We face challenges every single day. People don’t see that, obviously. I mean, we try to make the most out of every day and grow together. He’s been as committed to my career and this tournament as he can be,” Djokovic had said after beating Alcaraz.
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