What being coached by Murray could do for Djokovic

But the news that Murray will coach Djokovic at January’s Australian Open may cause even more exhilaration. I am sure I am not the only one who checked the date, to make absolutely certain it was not 1 April.

These two are only seven days apart in age, and shared the court in seven Grand Slam singles finals.

Friends as juniors, they became rivals as seniors. There was many a heated moment along the way but, helped by a shared history, they mostly seemed to get along pretty well.

“Never even liked tennis anyway,” Murray posted on the day he retired from playing.

“He never liked retirement anyway,” Djokovic posted on the day the Scot began his coaching career.

Djokovic has frequently worked with Grand Slam champions in a career which has so far returned 24 major titles. There were three years with Becker, six with Goran Ivanisevic and a less productive year in the company of Andre Agassi.

Djokovic said Becker was someone he would “look to for eye contact in the tough moments”.

Agassi’s skill, he said, was distilling complex concepts into precise information and reminding him how good he is.

Boris Bosnjakovic, who previously ran the Novak Tennis Centre, has been minding the ship since Ivanisevic left in March.

But another appointment always seemed likely as 37-year-old Djokovic heads into 2025 trying to break the hold Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz have on the Grand Slam titles.

Murray’s presence will very likely prove a stimulus, and his reading of the game and analysis of other players when competing suggests he has the makings of an outstanding coach.

“Andy’s very sharp with the data side of things and the strategy,” Murray’s coach of six years Jamie Delgado told BBC Sport.

“You have got to remember that Andy has played against Novak many times, so he will know and express to Novak what makes him so difficult to play against, remind him of those things that his opponents will be feeling when they play against him.

“Novak has now got different rivals in front of him – Sinner and Alcaraz – and Andy’s played these guys himself, so in terms of getting that final few per cent to make a difference in matches from a strategy point of view, you would be hard pushed to find someone better than Andy.”