Tim Henman wants to see Novak Djokovic struggle in first few matches with Andy Murray as coach
Tim Henman has spoken out on what he wants to see from Novak Djokovic’s new coaching partnership with Andy Murray. The 24-time Grand Slam champion recruited the recently retired British tennis player to coach him for the Australian Open. Henman, a former tennis player, has said he’s intrigued by the new pairingGetty The pair played doubles together at the Australian Open in 2006, when they were both 19 years oldGetty Speaking on the new pairing, Henman told Eurosport how ‘intrigued’ he is about the former tennis rivals turned coaching duo. “I’m definitely intrigued,” Henman said. “That’s why I want to see Djokovic struggle a little bit in those early matches so that there’s a bit of tension, a bit of adversity, hopefully a bit of shouting and screaming at the box. “We can see how Andy Murray deals with it being on the receiving end. But it’s going to be fun to watch.” “When I saw it on the internet, I had to check the date, whether it was an April Fools [joke]. “But I think it’s a smart move from Djokovic, because Andy’s played against all those opponents that Djokovic is going to be up against. “Andy’s always been a great tactician, so I’m sure that fresh input can motivate Djokovic. “From Andy’s point of view, having just retired in August, I was surprised that he wants to get back on the road that quickly. But only time will tell how the relationship evolves.” At the end of the day, Andy’s the one that’s got to answer that question, what was the motivation? “But I always felt that he [Murray] would go into coaching. I didn’t think it would be this quick, but when you get the opportunity to work with one of the greatest players in the history of our sport, then perhaps he viewed it as too good an opportunity to turn down. “So [I was] fascinated to hear about the off-season when they’re practising in Spain and then going into the Australian Open to see how the relationship evolves. GettyDjokovic and Murray have met on 36 occasions, which Djokovic leads by 25-11[/caption] “It just adds another great story line around the Australian Open in 2025.” Despite Murray’s illustrious career, the Scot never managed a win on Australian turf, despite reaching the final on five occasions. Four out of five of those finals ended in defeat to Djokovic. The Australian Open begins in January in Melbourne, with Djokovic eyeing an 11th title down under. Should Murray lead him to victory, it will tie the Serbian international with Margaret Court for the most singles titles ever at the competition. Djokovic and Murray announced the news on social media, sharing a photo of the pair when they were younger. Djokovic captioned the post, “He never liked retirement anyway”. The quip was a reference to Murray’s retirement post, in which he penned: “never even liked tennis anyway.” “We had some of the most epic battles in our sport. They called us game-changers, risk takers, history makers. I thought our story may be over, [but it] turns out it has one final chapter” said Djokovic in the video posted online. “It’s time for one of my toughest opponents to step into my corner. Welcome to my coach, Andy Murray.”
Tim Henman has spoken out on what he wants to see from Novak Djokovic’s new coaching partnership with Andy Murray.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion recruited the recently retired British tennis player to coach him for the Australian Open.
Speaking on the new pairing, Henman told Eurosport how ‘intrigued’ he is about the former tennis rivals turned coaching duo.
“I’m definitely intrigued,” Henman said. “That’s why I want to see Djokovic struggle a little bit in those early matches so that there’s a bit of tension, a bit of adversity, hopefully a bit of shouting and screaming at the box.
“We can see how Andy Murray deals with it being on the receiving end. But it’s going to be fun to watch.”
“When I saw it on the internet, I had to check the date, whether it was an April Fools [joke].
“But I think it’s a smart move from Djokovic, because Andy’s played against all those opponents that Djokovic is going to be up against.
“Andy’s always been a great tactician, so I’m sure that fresh input can motivate Djokovic.
“From Andy’s point of view, having just retired in August, I was surprised that he wants to get back on the road that quickly. But only time will tell how the relationship evolves.”
At the end of the day, Andy’s the one that’s got to answer that question, what was the motivation?
“But I always felt that he [Murray] would go into coaching. I didn’t think it would be this quick, but when you get the opportunity to work with one of the greatest players in the history of our sport, then perhaps he viewed it as too good an opportunity to turn down.
“So [I was] fascinated to hear about the off-season when they’re practising in Spain and then going into the Australian Open to see how the relationship evolves.
“It just adds another great story line around the Australian Open in 2025.”
Despite Murray’s illustrious career, the Scot never managed a win on Australian turf, despite reaching the final on five occasions. Four out of five of those finals ended in defeat to Djokovic.
The Australian Open begins in January in Melbourne, with Djokovic eyeing an 11th title down under. Should Murray lead him to victory, it will tie the Serbian international with Margaret Court for the most singles titles ever at the competition.
Djokovic and Murray announced the news on social media, sharing a photo of the pair when they were younger. Djokovic captioned the post, “He never liked retirement anyway”. The quip was a reference to Murray’s retirement post, in which he penned: “never even liked tennis anyway.”
“We had some of the most epic battles in our sport. They called us game-changers, risk takers, history makers. I thought our story may be over, [but it] turns out it has one final chapter” said Djokovic in the video posted online.
“It’s time for one of my toughest opponents to step into my corner. Welcome to my coach, Andy Murray.”
