Djokovic rocked the tennis world when he announced that Murray would be joining his team with a video post on social media. “He never liked retirement anyway,” the Serb jokingly wrote in the caption.
At the time, Murray’s mum reacted with a popcorn emoji. But she has now shared her true feelings on the link-up. “What’s he like?” she joked, speaking to The Herald about her son’s new career move.
While Judy doesn’t think Murray and Djokovic are too similar, she can vouch for how well they know each other. And the Scottish tennis coach will have to get used to cheering for her son’s former rival.
She added: “I’ve got to support Novak now. That’ll be a first. I mean that in the nicest way, of course.
“They’re different characters. The first time I saw Novak was when they were playing in an under-12 competition in France. So, they’re part of each other’s furniture and they know each other really well on and off the court.”
It won’t just be an adjustment for Judy, as two-time Olympic champion Murray will also have to get used to giving his tactics to one of his biggest rivals.
Murray and Djokovic were only born a week apart and started competing against each other as children. They went on to play on the biggest stages, with Grand Slam titles and the No. 1 spot on the line.
The Brit lost four of his five Australian Open finals to Djokovic and he will now try to help the 37-year-old win an 11th trophy at Melbourne Park.
After announcing their new coaching partnership, 24-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic said: “I am excited to have one of my greatest rivals on the same side of the net, as my coach.
“Looking forward to start of the season and competing in Australia alongside Andy with whom I have shared many exceptional moments on the Australian soil.”
Murray added: “I’m going to be joining Novak’s team in the off-season, helping him to prepare for the Australian Open.
“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.”
Content Source: www.express.co.uk