Former rivals Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic are now close friends (Picture: Getty)
Andy Murray has no problem whatsoever if Novak Djokovic needs to ‘vent towards his team’ at the 2025 Australian Open during his matches.
Djokovic delighted tennis fans in November when he surprisingly announced his former Big Four rival Murray had joined his coaching set-up on a short-term basis.
Murray entered retirement in August and is helping to coach Djokovic during the first major event of the year in Melbourne, which begins Sunday.
Djokovic, who is set to be under a lot of pressure as he chases a historic 25th Grand Slam singles title, has been known for his angry outbursts at the tournament in recent years, particularly towards his own team.
Murray does not mind if that trend continues into 2025, though, as he told reporters: ‘Of course, I’ve thought about it.
‘I would think that I’d be one of the people that would maybe hopefully understand that side of things.
‘I know it’s not easy out there, and it’s stressful, and at times he’s going to want to vent towards his team and his box.
Novak Djokovic’s last major trophy came at the US Open in 2023 (Picture: Getty)
‘Provided that he’s giving his best effort and trying as hard as he can, I’m absolutely fine with him expressing himself how he wants.’
Murray was also known for the occasional outburst during his playing career and doesn’t want Djokovic to feel he has to supress himself or change his behaviour just because the Brit has joined the Serbian’s team.
‘I’ve had experiences of that as a player and watched other players,’ Murray added.
Novak Djokovic is hoping to move clear of Margaret Court’s record (Picture: Getty)
‘The description often of how the players look in those moments is that they look very flat. And that’s also not what you want.
‘So obviously, there’s a balance to and like I said, as long as he’s giving his best effort and trying his hardest, I’m absolutely here for all of that. I’m not wanting anything different.’
While Murray coaching Djokovic is only a temporary arrangement for now, it could become a permanent appointment if all goes well in Melbourne.
Novak Djokovic won his 10th Australian Open title in 2023 (Picture: Getty)
Murray has accompanied Djokovic on-court during his training sessions this week, while they previously spent 10 days working together in Marbella.
‘It made sense to trial it and see if it works,’ Murray said. ‘And then we said we’d make a more definitive decision after the tournament.
‘At times it’s very enjoyable. But high performance is not supposed to be like laughs and jokes and messing around. It isn’t about that. In all the times I’ve been on tour, I haven’t seen that from any of the best players in the world.
‘I’ve seen it from some of the lower-ranked players, and that’s one of the reasons why they’re not there. The best players take it seriously and they want to improve, and it’s not always easy.
‘It’s demanding, but it’s extremely rewarding when you make a breakthrough in a practice and something starts to feel a little bit better. That’s exciting.
‘Obviously I expect when the matches start, the tournament starts, it is stressful. When you’re trying to achieve great things, it’s not easy. But the rewards at the end of it can be great. And that’s something that I’m looking forward [to].’