Former rivals trade fist pumps and whispers as Djokovic-Murray show begins
With his great friend in his coaching box, the Serb recovered from losing the first set to progress at the Australian OpenIn a quiet corner of the player warm-up gym on Monday afternoon in Melbourne Park, one of the countless invasive cameras dotted around the tournament area captured a significant moment,After 24 years of sharing the same locker room as adversaries, of avoiding eye-contact before their matches and staying out of each other’s way, Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic stood face-to-face as Murray walked his new charge through their first ever pre-match pep talk together,For a first-round match at a grand slam tournament, this was a trickier situation than either of them might have imagined,While player and coach have battled against the vast majority of people in the draw, and they are familiar with most players they have not, as the luck of the draw would have it, Djokovic found himself up against one of the few players in the 2025 Australian Open draw that he knew almost nothing about,In his first scouting report, it was up to Murray to fill in the gaps and prepare Djokovic for the challenge of facing Nishesh Basavareddy, a talented 19-year-old American player competing in the main draw of a grand slam tournament for the first time in his career.
Hours later, the Djokovic-Murray show began,With a camera trained on Murray throughout the match and his face predictably projected on the big screen at every opportunity, Murray entered the court wearing a smart, navy blue Castore tracksuit colour coordinated with the rest of the Djokovic team,He sat next to Carlos Gómez-Herrera, Djokovic’s former hitting partner turned assistant,While coaches normally sit in the first row of the stands camouflaged among the paying fans, this year coincidentally marks the first year of the Australian Open’s new coaching initiative, an attempt to put a greater spotlight on the coaches and allow players easier access to their sporting staff,Now situated in the corner of the court, there is nowhere for them to hide.
Naturally, Murray had to figure out what kind of energy he should exude to his player in the middle of a match.From the beginning, Murray applauded almost every successful point from Djokovic, constantly standing up and down from his chair.After Djokovic implored his box to provide him with more encouragement, Murray responded in kind.Late in the second set, as Djokovic took a decisive break of serve, the former rivals traded fist pumps for the first time.Their most comprehensive interaction came after Djokovic took a two sets to one lead and the Serb headed over to his box for a strategic discussion.
The dynamic between them perhaps illustrated why Djokovic sought Murray out in the first place.Djokovic listened intently as Murray offered tactical advice, asked a follow-up question and then nodded before returning to his seat.There are few former tennis players or coaches in history with a strong enough résumé for Djokovic to immediately trust their advice in the heat of battle so early into their collaboration.“He was giving me his feedback, guidance and opinion,” said Djokovic.“It’s important.
I enjoy talking to Andy.He knows tennis as well as anybody out there.He’s a legend of the sport.He understands the highs and lows that you go through on the court, not just game-wise but mentally and physically.I don’t need to do much explaining.
He gets everything that I’m going through.”In the end, as Djokovic himself admitted, it was a strange situation but, with their history, their first match was always going to feel odd.As they continue an intense week of training together, constantly talking, asking questions and getting to know each other on a completely new level, the novelty and strangeness of these interactions will surely wear off.“He’s constantly supportive and encouraging me,” said Djokovic.“He’s brilliant with that.
He cares a lot and he’s putting a lot of energy into trying to make me feel good on the court.I think that’s what I need, honestly.I was looking for that extra motivation.I definitely have it with Andy.”Basavareddy grew up as such a big fan of Djokovic that his WhatsApp profile picture is a photo of the Serb.
As the 19-year-old outplayed Djokovic for almost an hour by forcing himself on top of the baseline, taking the ball on the rise and continually shifting rallies from defence to attack, it was clear that he has taken significant inspiration from Djokovic in his own game,Still, Djokovic gradually found his way and the second half of the match perhaps illustrated why Murray was so willing to disrupt the first months of his retirement and throw himself back into the world of elite sport,After 90 minutes of play, the intensity was so high that Basavareddy began to limp and he struggled to put down weight on his left leg,Once he showed his physical weakness, Djokovic never let him back in to win 4-6 6-3 6-4 6-2,Five months before his 38th birthday, at an age when the vast majority of other athletes in the history of the sport are deteriorating physically and just trying to hold on, Djokovic remains in supreme physical shape and his intensity continues to break his opponents.
Six more to go.
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