NOVAK DJOKOVIC: NEW TRAINER ANDY MURRAY CAN HELP SERBIAN SPRING ‘SURPRISE’ IN 2025, SAYS ALEX CORRETJA
Novak Djokovic sprung a huge surprise for the 2025 tennis season when he announced Andy Murray would be his new trainer. Murray only retired earlier in the year, and with Djokovic undergoing a tough 2024, Eurosport tennis expert Alex Corretja believes the Scot could bring a new tactical improvement to the Serbian’s approach to competing with younger players.
Eurosport tennis expert Alex Corretja has backed Andy Murray to succeed as Novak Djokovic’s new trainer.
Djokovic recently made the surprise announcement that Murray, who only retired this year, would be teaming up with him as trainer.
The past season is Djokovic’s first since 2017 when he did not land a Grand Slam to add to his record of 24 Grand Slam titles, though he did win the 2024 Olympic Games gold medal in Paris this summer.
Murray and Rafael Nadal both drew a line under their careers earlier this year after suffering with injuries for much of the last few years, while Roger Federer, the other of the Big Four, stepped back in 2022.
The Serbian does not appear interested in retiring imminently, but Corretja was taken aback by Djokovic’s decision.
He said: “I was totally in shock. I have to agree for, let’s say, 10 seconds, 15 seconds and right away I thought, ‘what a smart move from Novak and from Andy, at the same time’.
“I felt like Novak needs big and huge motivations, and he wants to bring someone special, someone that understands the game very well, which he’s been playing for the last 15-20 years on Tour, and he just retired.
“He might help him to try things that maybe he’s shown in Andy that he didn’t have those skills, and he’s thinking about him. On the other hand, I felt like for Andy, it is a great opportunity.
“Once you retire and then you step away for a long time, then it’s more and more difficult to come back. Andy, he’s always seen things quite clearly, when you sit down with him. He knows exactly the way he wants to practise the tournaments. He wants to play the way he wants to play during matches as well. So I think it’s an explosive combination, but it could work very well.”
