Alexander Zverev Shares Witty Take on Novak Djokovic’s Latest Partnership with Former On-court Rival Andy Murray

The Australian Open is just days away, and Novak Djokovic is the talk of the town again, as he embarks on his quest for a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam title. But this year, the spotlight isn’t solely on the Serbian legend—it’s also on the man in his corner. Andy Murray, Djokovic’s longtime rival, has taken on the unexpected role of his coach, marking a new chapter in both their storied careers. The announcement in November sent ripples through the tennis world, leaving fans and experts with plenty to say. Among those who weighed in was Alexander Zverev. So what does the German tennis player think?

On Thursday, Novak Djokovic took on Alexander Zverev in an exhibition match at Rod Laver Arena. It was a tightly contested one-set match, which Djokovic claimed 7-6(6). Post that, the duo conducted an interview alongside Andy Murray. The World No.2 had a cheeky take on the Djokovic-Murray partnership.

“What did I think? Sh*t,” Zverev quipped. “Negatively for me, although positively for Novak, I suppose. Novak has won 24 Grand Slams, so it hardly matters who coaches him. He will probably win another five while I try to win the first. The story goes on, I am getting older, and Novak gets younger. We will be here for the next 10 years.”

Djokovic, on the other hand, praised Zverev’s game, particularly his serve, which remains one of the most challenging ones to break. “Breaking his serve is very complicated,” Djokovic admitted. “We have discussed it off-court, and the level has been quite decent. We are trying to find good tennis in these last two days before the Australian Open kicks off. I hope we can face each other again in the later rounds of this Grand Slam.”

Djokovic and Murray teamed up after the Serbian split with Goran Ivanisevic during the offseason. For Djokovic, the decision to bring Murray on board ahead of the 2025 season was a calculated move to gain fresh insights from someone who knows his game better than most. Apart from aiming his 25th Slam, the Serb now also has his sights set on a record-extending 11th Australian Open title.

Since teaming up, Djokovic and Murray have been hard at work as they were spotted on the courts in Melbourne. They’ve been seen practicing together to fine-tune strategies for the year’s first Grand Slam. But how did the partnership come to be?

“Was a pretty unique opportunity” – Andy Murray on accepting Novak Djokovic’s offer

Andy Murray’s journey into Novak Djokovic’s coaching team came about in the most unexpected way. Speaking to The Express, Murray recounted the casual start to their collaboration and said,  “I was playing golf, and we’d been exchanging messages. Novak had messaged me, just wanting to chat, I was on the 17th hole of the golf course, and the guy I was playing with said: ‘Do you know what’s next?’ I was like: ‘No, not really.’ He said: ‘Do you have any plans to do any coaching?’ And I said, ‘Honestly, I can’t think of anything worse to do right now.’”

But just 30 minutes later, things took a turn. The Brit further added, “I was in the car and called Novak, and we had a conversation and he asked if I would be interested in helping, which I obviously wasn’t expecting. I said to him, ‘Look, I need to think about it and talk to my family’. So I spoke to them and, after a couple of days, I thought that it was a pretty unique opportunity and experience.” 

The idea started to take shape, and with the support of his wife Kim, Murray decided to give it a shot. This marks Murray’s first coaching role since retiring from professional tennis after the Paris Olympics last summer.

Djokovic hasn’t had a great start to the 2025 season as he suffered a surprise loss to Reilly Opelka at the Brisbane International, a tournament Murray missed due to a pre-planned ski trip. Despite the setback, the Serb remains optimistic, and the pair’s focus is firmly on Melbourne, where Djokovic will begin his campaign against American teenager Nishesh Basavareddy on 12th January.

Will Murray’s expertise help Djokovic break his own record and clinch an 11th Australian Open title? What do you think?