Andy Murray will return to tennis as a coach less than four months after retiring (Image: Getty)
sent shockwaves through the tennis world when it was his old rival .
It’s a blockbuster pairing – the duo spent years at the top of the game battling for the biggest titles. But the news also came as a surprise given that Murray retired less than four months ago.
When he ended his career, there was no indication he’d return to tennis so soon. And fellow retired star Alex Corretja has now had his say on whether it’s worth jumping back in already.
Murray said farewell to professional tennis over the summer. He played his last singles match at Queen’s, joined forces with his brother Jamie at and bowed out at the Olympics after reaching the doubles quarter-final with Dan Evans.
The former world No. 1 had thrown hints about life after tennis. He joked that he wouldn’t want to get into journalism and, during a ceremony on Centre Court, said: “I would probably be more comfortable up there in the coaching box.”
But no one could have expected that he would return to the tennis tour as a coach so soon, let alone to mentor a player as great as Djokovic, with whom he shared such an intense rivalry.
Although the news came as a shock, Corretja believes getting back into the sport quickly is the right thing to do. “I felt like for Andy, it is a great opportunity,” the former world No. 2 told .
Andy Murray will start coaching Novak Djokovic in the off-season (Image: Getty)
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“Once you retire and then you step away for a long time, then it’s more and more difficult to come back. Andy, he’s always seen things quite clearly, when you sit down with him.”
Not only does the Spaniard think it’s a good idea to start coaching already, Corretja also believes the Murray-Djokovic link-up could be successful.
He continued: “He knows exactly the way he wants to practise the tournaments. He wants to play the way he wants to play during matches as well. So I think it’s an explosive combination, but it could work very well.
“Andy knows the game very well. He knows the players, he knows the tactics extremely perfectly in his mind.
“He knows what it is to be there, he knows what it is to be there a little bit older, feeling like the young guys pushing him, the way he needs to react, to defend and what he can do to hurt them.”
Murray and Djokovic will work together during the off-season through into the Australian Open, where the Serb will be bidding to win a record 25th Grand Slam title and his 11th Down Under.
The Brit finished runner-up at the Aussie Open five times, with four of his finals defeats coming at the hands of Djokovic. So it will be unusual to see them in the same corner at Melbourne Park.
“I’m really excited for it and looking forward to spending time on the same side of the net as Novak for a change, helping him to achieve his goals,” Murray said of their new partnership.
The current world No. 7 added: “I am excited to have one of my greatest rivals on the same side of the net, as my coach.
“Looking forward to start of the season and competing in Australia alongside Andy with whom I have shared many exceptional moments on the Australian soil.”