“He has a unique perspective on my game – he has played me, he has played all the current best players in the world in my opponents,” this is what Novak Djokovic said about appointing longtime rival Andy Murray to be his coach. The duo was on a winning streak as the ‘Serbinator’ reached the semi-finals of the Australian Open, defeating World No.3 Carlos Alcaraz on the way. Unfortunately, a hamstring injury forced Djokovic to retire from his semi-final match against Alexander Zverev mid-way. The Brit, however, was nowhere to be seen when he faced a shocking first-round exit at the Qatar Open, his first in seven years. But those losing their sleep over a possible split of the duo can rest easy, as Murray is not leaving Djokoivc’s side yet.

Novak Djokovic will be targeting the Sunshine Doubles, which includes the Indian Wells and Miami Open, for the first time in six years. The current World number 7 has 5 Indian Wells titles, a record he shares with Roger Federer. He also has a total of 6 Miami Open titles, matching Andre Agassi’s record. He will be looking to become the player with the most titles at the Sunshine Doubles. His coach, Andy Murray, will be right there with him. Murray’s team has confirmed that the ex-British tennis player is flying down to the United States for the Indian Wells tournament to coach Djokovic.

After the Australian Open. Djokovic had said that the pair would need to “cool off” before they decide where their trial partnership goes. But later at the Qatar Open, the Serbian tennis star confirmed that Murray had agreed to coach him further. He said, “I expressed my desire to continue the collaboration with him so I am really glad he did accept. It’s indefinite in terms of how long we are going to work together, but we agreed we are going to work most likely in the States and then some clay-court tournaments and see how it goes after that.” 

Though the 24-time Grand Slam champion has not won a single title since his triumph at the 2023 U.S. Open, he still was on the receiving end of a prestigious honor.

Novak Djokovic receives ‘best athlete’ award by Serbia

Though Novak Djokovic did not win any Grand Slam title in 2024, his season wasn’t truly disastrous. The Serbian tennis star reached the final of Wimbledon and made the semi-final and quarter-final of the Australian Open and the French Open, respectively. However, in contrast to his 2023 season, where he boasted a win-loss record of 27-1 at the Grand Slam level, it is definitely not the best. Despite not winning any title, the former World number 1 completed his ultimate dream of winning a gold medal for his country at the Paris Olympics. With this victory, he achieved the ‘Golden Slam’, accomplishing everything there is to accomplish in tennis.

Therefore, on 2nd March, the Serbian tennis sensation was declared the “best athlete of 2024” by the Serbian Association of Sports Journalists at the RTS Gallery in Serbia. Djokovic was not present to receive the award, but his father, Srdjan Djokovic, was present to accept the award on his behalf. In his acceptance speech, he said, “I am happy and proud to be the father of the greatest athlete of all time. Don’t be afraid to say it because, by all indicators and criteria, he is the best athlete in history. Say it freely—those who don’t allow you to say it are wrong. Nothing was easy, but he turned every hardship into something positive. He is an incredible child, and this May, he will turn 38 years old.”

Looking ahead, the 37-year-old will fight it out at the Indian Wells tournament, where he defends only 50 points due to his shocking first-round exit against Luca Nardi. His next win will also mark his 100th career title. It will be interesting to see if Djokovic can conquer the Sunshine Doubles, which he has not won since 2016. Do you think he can add another historic win to his already extensive collection?