Andy Murray Returns to Tennis as Novak Djokovic's Coach

In the wake of the Paris Olympics, one storied tennis career came to a close. Andy Murray announced his retirement after the men’s doubles quarterfinals, ending a professional career that began in 2005 and saw him win multiple Grand Slam titles. “I’m looking forward to a rest now,” Murray said at the time, according to ESPN. Unsurprisingly, the end of Murray’s professional career doesn’t mean the end of his relationship to the sport — and he’ll be making a return in a very different capacity for January’s Australian Open.

Specifically, he’ll be coaching Novak Djokovic. As The Observer‘s Tumaini Carayol reports, this is the latest wrinkle in a long-running rivalry between the two men, who first competed against one another in a match when they were both 11 years old. Over the years, Murray and Djokovic played against each other 36 times, with Djokovic winning the majority — 25 — of the matches.

“We played each other since we were boys, 25 years of being rivals, of pushing each other beyond our limits. We had some of the most epic battles in our sport,” Djokovic said when announcing the partnership.

The Andy Murray Comeback Tour Is Now in Session

The Scot said he’d retire after Wimbledon. He might’ve spoken too soon.

As 2024 draws to a close, Djokovic is currently ranked seventh in the world. What can viewers expect from these longtime rivals becoming colleagues? Earlier this fall, ESPN’s Tom Hamilton predicted big things for Djokovic in the Australian Open, noting that “[i]t seems there’s a fire still burning in him, and he’ll want to keep the youngsters at bay.” Turns out he’ll have some assistance in doing just that.