Novak Djokovic has confirmed that Andy Murray will be his new coach (Image: Getty)
and dropped a bombshell over the weekend, announcing that
It’s a statement of intent from the Serb, who did not win a Major this year and had been without a full-time coach since March.
Retired pro believes Murray will create a “different” Djokovic but he’s already dropped hints about the world No. 7’s potential retirement.
Djokovic has had an unusual year. He won the one title that always evaded him – an Olympic gold medal – but he couldn’t lift any other trophies and suffered some early exits to lower-ranked players at big tournaments like the US Open and Indian Wells.
The world No. 7 ended his season early when he pulled out of the Paris Masters . There were doubts about his motivation levels but he later confirmed he was as driven as ever
And the Olympic champion has certainly made a statement of intent by hiring Murray as his new coach. The Brit will work with his old rival during the off-season and into the Australian Open.
While there’s no telling how their partnership will go, Murray has been tipped to bring about a “different” version of Djokovic.
Alex Corretja has questioned whether Novak Djokovic is trying to go out on a high (Image: Getty)
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Explaining how the three-time Major winner could help the Serb, Corretja told : “I think he could maybe bring something to surprise the opponents.
“I think Novak needs to start doing things a bit differently. He’s been very solid and very consistent, but at the same time, I think he will try to be maybe more aggressive and, you know, play even less.”
Djokovic and Murray have known each other since they were children and played on the biggest stages with Grand Slam trophies and the No. 1 ranking on the line. And the retired Spaniard thinks that having Murray in his corner will keep the 37-year-old accountable.
He added: “In order to be committed, you need to bring someone that you feel like you want to be committed to. Because he’s such a legend as well. So it’s like, ‘I can’t just let him down.’”
But Corretja has also questioned whether the decision has been made to help Djokovic stay motivated as he enters the latter stage of his career – to go out on a high and have some fun before retiring.
“If you bring someone as special as Andy, you need to give your 100 per cent and this little gas that Novak feels that he still has in the tank,” he continued.
“I think he needs to explore that in order to finish his career and say, ‘I gave it all, and now I don’t think it’s a matter of results.’ It’s more like tennis-wise, practising, having fun, enjoying, laughing. I think we could have a different version of Novak.”
Only time will tell whether Djokovic does soon hang up his racket. For now, he will no doubt be hungry to get his hands on his 25th Slam title at the Australian Open in January, where he’s set to have Murray in his boxing to spur him on and give him some new tactics.