Novak Djokovic has been sent a warning about his new coach Andy Murray (Image: Getty)
has been told that success is no guarantee after hiring as his new coach. After scrapping it out for over a decade at summit, Djokovic and Murray have now put their rivalry aside to form .
It marks Murray’s first foray into coaching, just a few months after he on his stunning, trophy-laden career. The Brit, 37, is the third former World No. 1 to become Djokovic’s coach, with the Serb, also 37, having previously worked with Andre Agassi and .
But top players don’t always make top coaches, as French former tennis ace Julien Benneteau pointed out while speaking to RMC Sports. “[Just] because you’ve been a great player that [doesn’t mean] you’re a good coach and that guarantees success as a coach,” the 42-year-old said. ” is going to be a coach, not a trainer; he’s not going to teach him how to hit a forehand or a backhand.”
Continuing, Benneteau said he believes Murray’s appointment demonstrates how determined Djokovic is to win a 25th Grand Slam title – a feat that would see him move above Margaret Court to become, statistically, the most successful tennis player ever – and to stave off increasingly burdensome challenges from the likes of , and . “I think Djokovic has a real motivation,” he said.
“Djokovic wants to do everything he can to reach 25 Grand Slams, to be the only one to have done so. And the fact that Murray is joining him in his team is a signal he’s sending out to the others and also to himself so that he can have a different approach and a different vision of the way Alcaraz and Sinner play so that he can beat them in five sets.
“We mustn’t forget Zverev, who finished the year on a high. And I think that’s why he’s calling on . Murray knows him well enough to help him out.
Benneteau think Djokovic hired Murray to help him against the likes of Sinner (L) and Alcaraz (R) (Image: Getty)
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“I don’t know if they are friends or not. But they belong to the same generation. They are the same age. Murray knows him very well in terms of how he plays and how he is, his personality. That’s why Murray could help him to prepare for the Grand Slam. Because of his knowledge of Djokovic, Murray can give him that small advantage he needs over the rest of players.”
When quizzed about his decision to hire Murray, Djokovic admitted it came as “a surprise” – not least to the Scot, who was apparently caught when Djokovic phoned him – but insisted he was really excited to start working with the two-time champion. “I took about six months to figure out what I needed at this stage of my career,” the Belgrade native said.
“I realised the perfect coach would be someone who has been through the experiences I’m going through, possibly a multiple Grand slam winner and world number one. We discussed and I said I would give him a call and see how it goes. It caught him a little of guard. We connected really fast and he accepted after a few days.
“I couldn’t be more excited about it,” he added. “This collaboration is a surprise to everyone, including me, but it’s exciting for tennis.”
By winning an Olympic gold medal in Paris this summer, Djokovic ticked off the last major piece of silverware missing from his glittering CV. That said, over the course of the year, there have been signs of an impending decline. He failed to win a single ATP event for the first time since 2005 and ended the year without a Grand Slam title for the first time since 2017.
With Murray by his side, Djokovic will be hoping to stem the tide. However, as his 40s loom ever closer, time is running out for the Serbian to secure a 25th major and officially cement his place as the greatest tennis player of all time.