Djokovic appoints Murray as coach for Australian Open

Novak Djokovic has announced his long-term former rival Andy Murray as his coach for the Australian Open in 2025.

Murray, a three-time Grand Slam winner, announced his retirement earlier this year and played his final match at the Paris Olympics in August.

He will join Djokovic's team in the off-season and coach him through the opening grand slam of the year, which begins on January 12.

This will be Murray's first coaching role since retiring following a 19-year career.

"We played each other since we were boys. 25 years of being rivals, of pushing each other beyond our limits," Djokovic said in a video on social media.

"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 - turns out it has one final chapter.

"It's time for one of my toughest opponents to step into my corner. Welcome onboard coach, Andy Murray."

He never liked retirement anyway. pic.twitter.com/Ga4UlV2kQW

— Novak Djokovic (@DjokerNole) November 23, 2024

Djokovic failed to win a major title for the first time since 2017, though he did clinch a long-awaited Olympic gold medal in Paris.

The Serb is currently level with Margaret Court for the most major singles titles by any player. He has a good record in Australia though, winning 10 times in Melbourne, beating Murray in four of those finals.

Murray, who beat Djokovic to win the US Open title in 2012 and Wimbledon the following year, says he hopes they can achieve success together.

"I'm going to be joining Novak's team in the off-season, helping him to prepare for the Australian Open," Murray said.

"I'm really excited for it and looking forward to spending time on the same side of the net as Novak for a change, helping him to achieve his goals."