Murray's early impression of Djokovic: 'None of those guys matter, it's only Novak'

Brad Gilbert remembers asking Andy Murray an important question in 2006, when he began coaching the Scot. Gilbert went through a list of players, pressing Murray on which opponents gave him the most trouble. Nearly two decades later, Gilbert still recalls Murray’s response.

“I remember him saying, ‘None of those guys matter, it’s only Novak,’” Gilbert told ATPTour.com.

In a full-circle moment, Murray is now teaming with his rival Djokovic, coaching the Serbian in the off season and through the Australian Open. According to Gilbert, it is a fitting move.

“I kind of sensed that Novak was going to do something. You didn’t know what he was going to do, but you kind of sensed that he probably needed something, and something to motivate him. And obviously he goes way back with Andy,” Gilbert said.

“Andy knows a lot about Novak, knows a lot about the players who Novak is going to be chasing. But I think more than anything, where Novak is, you’ve got these two huge, young guys now [Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz] who have just really elevated and I think Novak probably feels like he needs a little bit and I think most importantly, needs that motivation.”

Wasn’t on our 2024 bingo card…

But SO here for it 😎@andy_murray | @DjokerNole pic.twitter.com/e9T2eFW25i

— ATP Tour (@atptour) November 23, 2024

Murray, who retired at the Paris Olympics earlier this year, and 99-time tour-level titlist Djokovic clashed 36 times in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series. The Belgrade native won 25 of those meetings. They battled on the world’s biggest stages, including in seven major finals.

Gilbert, former No. 4 in the PIF ATP Rankings, also knows what it is like to make a quick transition from the court to the coach's box. He retired as a player in 1994, the same year he began coaching Andre Agassi. Instantly, Gilbert learned a valuable coaching lesson.

“You’re the coach, looking through the lens of the player who you’re coaching. I was like, ‘I would do X, Y and Z, but Andre plays nothing like me, so I can’t think about what I would do. I have to think about what Andre needed to do’.”

Born one week apart in May 1987, Djokovic and Murray are not the first pair of former No. 1s in the PIF ATP Rankings to join forces. In fact, Murray is the third former No. 1 to be in Djokovic’s corner. The Serbian has also worked with Agassi and Boris Becker.

With an entire offseason to refine new strategies and tactics, Djokovic's early season will be particularly exciting. The 37-year-old will begin his 2025 campaign in Brisbane.

“The first thing I’ll want to do when I’m in Australia is just go watch Murray and Novak practise,” Gilbert said. “It will be interesting, do they practise together? Is he practising with a practice partner? And [I want to see] if I notice anything different early in the first round. As a coach myself and a former player, I’m kind of fascinated seeing if there is something different right away.”