“I’m excited to have one of my greatest rivals in my team, on the same side of the net, this time as my coach,” said Novak Djokovic after stunning the tennis community with a surprise announcement last Saturday. The 24-time Grand Slam champion has partnered with long-time friend, and former rival, Andy Murray. Novak had a roller coaster of a season in 2024. While he failed to win any Grand Slam title for the first time since 2017, he clinched the elusive Gold medal at the Paris Olympics. It was, however, clearly nowhere near the standards set by the Serb. With Andy on his side now, Djokovic will want to make a solid comeback at the Australian Open. According to a former ATP pro, this partnership, coming at the right time, may bring fruitful results!

Spanish ex-pro Alex Corretja shared his honest thoughts while speaking to Eurosport about Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray‘s collaboration. He revealed that he was initially shocked, saying “I have to agree for, let’s say, 10 seconds, 15 seconds, and right away I thought” that it wasn’t true. However, he later mentioned that this player-coach partnership is a masterstroke.

“What a smart move from Novak and from Andy, at the same time,” he said. Explaining why this team-up may work wonders for the Serbian, he said, “I felt like Novak needs big and huge motivations, and he wants to bring someone special, someone that understands the game very well, which he’s been playing for the last 15-20 years on Tour, and he just retired.”

According to the former World No.2, the Briton has got a great chance to showcase his vast knowledge of the sport. “For Andy, it is a great opportunity. Once you retire and then you step away for a long time, then it’s more and more difficult to come back. Andy, he’s always seen things quite clearly, when you sit down with him.”

Corretja further added that Murray “might help” Novak “to try things that maybe he’s shown in Andy that he didn’t have those skills, and he’s thinking about him,” he said in the interview. He also revealed that Murray’s role could be essential in improving the 38-year-old’s overall performance at this stage of his career. “Andy knows the game very well. He knows the players, he knows the tactics extremely perfectly in his mind. He knows what it is to be there, he knows what it is to be there a little bit older,” he added.

Well, there’s no doubt in assuming that Novak’s sole focus will be to make a big impact when he returns, especially after battling with his injuries this year.

Novak Djokovic eyeing to dominate the court once again in 2025

Djokovic struggled with injuries this season. Earlier this year, he withdrew from the French Open due to a torn meniscus in his knee. After having surgery, he came back and fought well in the Wimbledon. Unfortunately, he couldn’t win the final encounter against Carlos Alcaraz. But he did prove his mettle at the Olympics, scripting history for Serbia. Despite growing pain, he completed his career’s Golden Slam and clinched the Gold medal. However, things got tough for him after that. Following an exit from the US Open in September, he missed out on winning the Shanghai Masters in the final against Jannik Sinner.

Realizing that his injury was causing too much trouble, he then withdrew from the Rolex Paris Masters last month. Not only that, he even withdrew his name from the season finale in Turin, despite qualifying for the event. Djokovic cited an ongoing injury as the main reason for his decision. But it’s only a matter of time before he will be back in action. “Tennis is still my focus! I am going at full throttle in the off-season. We go for another ride. I just needed to recharge and refresh a bit after an exhausting year,” he revealed through an update, reported by Tennis Majors, dated November 8th.

Novak Djokovic is focusing on the Australian Open right now. Having won it 10 times already, the Serbian is currently trying to recover on time before the tournament commences in January. “I am going to play in the first week of the season. I am just not sure yet where. Then, of course, the Australian Open,” he concluded.

Simply put, Djokovic has made it clear that he will be fit in time for the Australian Open. Do you think the former World No.1 will be able to make a grand return in 2025 and add another AO title to his tally? Let us know in the comments below.