Djokovic on Murray appointment: 'I can't be more excited about it'

Novak Djokovic’s decision to appoint long-term friend and rival Andy Murray has caused a stir in the past week. The 37-year-old will team with the Scot in the new season. But how did the decision come about?

The Serbian explained all when he spoke to Sky Sports at the Formula 1 on Friday.

“I was going through a process of thinking about next season in the past couple of months and figuring out what I needed as I stopped with my coach Goran Ivanisevic, who I was successful with,” Djokovic told Sky Sports. “I took about six months to think if I really needed a coach and if yes, who is that going to be and the profile of the coach.

“We were going through different names and I realised at this point the perfect coach would be someone who has been through the experiences I have been through. A multiple Grand Slam winner and I was thinking about a few and the Andy Murray discussion appeared on the table with my team. I decided I would give him a call and see how it goes. It caught him off guard a little bit as he wasn’t expecting it.

“We connected really fast and he accepted it after a few days. I can’t be more excited about it. This collaboration is a surprise to me as well, to everyone, but it is exciting for tennis. He has been one of my greatest rivals, we are at the same age. We played in all the biggest stages in our sport so I can’t wait to be out there next season.”

Djokovic will aim to win a record-extending 25th major at the Australian Open in January. Born a week apart in May 1987, both Djokovic and Murray climbed to No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings and battled on the world’s biggest stages. Djokovic and Murray clashed in 36 Lexus ATP Head2Head showdowns, with the former winning 25 of them.

Murray ended his playing career at the Paris Olympics in July.