The tennis world is already gearing up for an electrifying 2025 season, and Novak Djokovic has thrown a curveball that no one saw coming. His surprising partnership with long-time rival and tennis legend Andy Murray has left fans and experts alike scratching their heads. Since the announcement on November 23rd, reactions have been pouring in, ranging from sheer excitement to raised eyebrows. While fans are eagerly speculating about the magic this duo could bring to the court, there’s one notable voice adding a touch of skepticism—Daniil Medvedev’s long-term coach, Gilles Cervera. 

In an unexpected move in November, the Serbian legend announced that Murray will be coaching him at least till the end of the Australian Open next year and expressed his excitement. Similar sentiments were shared by Murray who highlighted his joy in being on the same side of the net with Nole for the Grand Slam. However, Cervera believes that this partnership might not go as planned given Djokovic’s age and Murray’s inexperience as a coach.

Speaking in an interview with L’Equipe, Medvedev’s coach said, “Knowing Murray, this doesn’t surprise me, I knew he wouldn’t be able to stay still for more than two or three months after retiring.” Remember, Murray played his last match at the Paris Olympics this year. While he desired to spend his post-retirement life with his family, he soon returned to action by collaborating with the Serbian legend. But more than Murray’s return, what concerns Cervera is his lack of experience when it comes to coaching. 

“He doesn’t have what you could call a training methodology. Andy doesn’t know anything about training, which means he’ll have to learn it on the fly. That’s not the reason why Novak wants to work with him,” Cervera remarked. Continuing further, he also highlighted that Djokovic might take more help from his existing team than the Brit. “As for the coach, either Novak knows himself so well that he doesn’t need anyone else, or he will ask for help from the rest of the team that already follows him. Between the two, anything is possible. I imagine that this collaboration will bring something to Djokovic.” Interestingly, Cervera is not the only person to have made such a skeptical remark about the alliance between Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray. 

Earlier, former British player Greg Rusedski shared his surprise over the partnership and highlighted that it can have both positive and negative impacts. “Novak Djokovic coached by Andy Murray is going to be fascinating  to watch the player coach relationship. Andy is a great tactician, knows all the current player’s strengths & weaknesses,” the former British player wrote on X adding, “This could be an inspired choice or will it be a clash of personalities? Intriguing.” And these speculations can not be ignored completely. 

Remember, Murray and Djokovic have played against each other 36 times on the courts with Nole clinching victories in 25 of them. Besides, both players have different approaches to their sport which can lead to disagreements. Hence, the partnership’s success cannot be guaranteed completely. However, despite the challenges, Djokovic seems to be excited and confident of the collaboration.

Novak Djokovic reveals the perks of partnering with Andy Murray

Andy Murray might lack experience as a coach but his intense grit and determination on the court have troubled his opponents for a long time. And it is his immense talent that has motivated Djokovic to hire him as his coach and seek his help for the first Grand Slam next year.

Speaking about the same to Sky Sports, Djokovic said, “I realized the perfect coach for me at this point would be someone who has been through experiences that I’m going through, possibly a multiple Grand Slam winner, former No.1 I was thinking about different people and Andy Murray discussion appeared on the table with me and my team and we were like okay I’m gonna give him a call and see how it goes.” He revealed that he quickly contacted Murray and the Scot admitted his request. 

Remember, Murray brings with him the experience of winning three Grand Slams at the US Open and Wimbledon. Besides, he also boasts two Olympic Gold Medals, one from the 2012 London Games and the other from Rio de Janeiro in 2016. Murray also dazzled the courts as the World No. 1 for 41 weeks in total, which further highlights his talent. While the ultimate result of the partnership will be known in a few days from now, one thing is certain: the duo will not fail to mesmerize the tennis community.