Novak Djokovic admits it was a huge ‘shock’ to the tennis community to wave goodbye to Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray in the same year. Both tennis icons have now retired after glittering careers in the sport, with Murray surprisingly being named Djokovic’s new coach last week.
Nadal bowed out after the Davis Cup earlier this month, while Murray bid farewell following the summer’s Olympics doubles tournament. Djokovic is the only remaining member of tennis’ so-called Big Three, which included himself, Nadal and Roger Federer, who retired in 2022.
The Serb will turn 38 midway through next year but has no plans to follow his former rivals into a post-playing career any time soon. Ahead of the 2025 campaign, he has appointed Murray as a coach and insists he can still challenge for Grand Slams.
Djokovic told Sky Sports: “We all know that we have to stop and say goodbye to what we’ve done all our lives at some point. Even though it was expected for Andy and Rafa, we knew the end was coming.
“But for both of them saying goodbye to tennis in the same year, it’s a shock for all of us. It’s a shock for the tennis world because they are legends of our sport. Roger a few years ago.
“I still will try to go strong because I feel like my body is serving me well. I still have motivation to win Grand Slams and make more history in our sport. That’s one of the biggest reasons why I asked Andy to work with me.
“I still have big plans. So long as that’s the case, I will keep going. I don’t have any date in my mind or a result that, after I achieve it, I will say goodbye and retire. I will keep going so long as I feel like I can be one of the candidates for the biggest titles in the sport.”
Djokovic caught many people by surprise when he named Murray as his new coach last week, including the two-time Wimbledon champion himself. The duo will go into 2025 hoping to defeat tennis’ new generation of stars to Grand Slams and a host of other titles.
“I took about six months to work out if I need a coach and, if yes, who that’s going to be. We were going through names and I realised that the best coach for me would be someone who has been through the experiences I’m going through. A multiple Grand Slam winner, a world No. 1,” Djokovic said.
“I was thinking about different people and a discussion about Andy Murray appeared on the table with me and my team. We were like, ‘Okay, I’m going to give him a call’. It caught him a little off guard because he wasn’t expecting it.”
Content Source: www.express.co.uk