Any time Novak Djokovic returns to action following an extended period away, there is always plenty of anticipation. That is amplified this week at the Brisbane International presented by Evie, where the Serbian is partnering Nick Kyrgios in doubles and competing with another member of the ATP No. 1 Club, Andy Murray, on his team.
Murray spent 10 days with Djokovic in preparation for the start of the season. Although the Scot is not in Brisbane, they spent a lot of time together on and off the court over the past couple of weeks.
“Being on the same side of the net is actually great for a change because he’s been one of my greatest rivals,” Djokovic said. “In a way it was strange for me to share all these kinds of insights about how I feel on the court, sharing some of the secrets of what I’m going through, what I’m thinking about, how I see my game with somebody that has been always one of the top rivals. But I’m so glad and very thankful that he has accepted to work with me here in Australia.”
Djokovic explained that Murray will join him in Melbourne for a training week ahead of the Australian Open. After the season’s first major, they will decide whether they will continue working together and if so, for how long.
“But the 10 days that we spent together were terrific. I enjoyed every bit of it. He’s very meticulous, he’s very dedicated, so professional,” Djokovic said. “It doesn’t surprise me because I’ve known him so many years as a player and obviously it’s a new experience for him as a coach and it came somewhat as a surprise to him and me that we are pairing up as a coach [and] player.”
With that in mind, the 37-year-old seven-time Nitto ATP Finals champion called Murray’s decision to join his team “amazing news”. Having met 36 times in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series (Djokovic won 25 of them), they are now on the same side.
“He has a unique perspective on my game as one of the greatest rivals that I’ve had. He knows the pros and cons of my game,” Djokovic said. “He has also played up to recently on the Tour, so he knows all the other best players currently in the world, the youngsters and the weaknesses and strengths in their game. So I look forward to it, I really do.
“I think he’s bringing a fresh look to my game and I think I’ll be able to benefit from that, no doubt, on the tennis court. But also that kind of champion’s mentality that he has, I’m sure that we’ll match very well.”
The Brisbane ATP 250 event is Djokovic’s first tournament since the Rolex Shanghai Masters, where he reached the final. The Serbian tallied a 37-9 record in the 2024 season according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index.
“It’s been an interesting year in which my main focus and priority was to win the gold medal in the Olympics and I achieved that,” Djokovic said. “[I] had the surgery of the knee, but I managed to play soon after that the Wimbledon final, which was also a surprise to me to be honest. It was a great tournament period between Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the Olympic Games.
“But overall, I’ve had more losses and ups and downs in this season than previous seasons, so I’m looking for a good start of the season.”
Namely, Djokovic is keen for more consistency. A 99-time tour-level titlist, he hopes to add to his titles count. He can become the third ATP player in the Open Era to reach the 100-titles mark in Brisbane, where he opens against Rinky Hijikata.
“I’m planning to play a bit more tournaments this year than I did last season,” Djokovic said. “Hopefully also the level is going to go up and as a consequence I will be able to hopefully win a few tournaments and get my ranking higher.”
