After what turned out to be a disappointing campaign for one of the game’s best players, it does seem that Novak Djokovic is keen to come up with bigger strides in his games next year after deciding to bring in Andy Murray as a coach for his games in the next campaign. But will it be enough to give him a boost?

From being friends as junior tennis players to being rivals as seniors and even hailed as legends of the game, it seems that fate will bring in Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray together one more time, but this time with the latter coaching the Serbian star for his next campaign in the 2025 ATP Tour.

At this point, it is expected that Djokovic is going to be more aggressive in his race for the ATP Tour next season. This has been the farthest that he’s fallen into over the years, and it cannot be denied that his pace is starting to slow down as the game continues to evolve now more than ever. With Murray coaching him, the Serbian star hopes to remedy his woes.

Rivals Working Together

Murray and Djokovic have played against each other many times than one can remember, with a total of seven meetings in the Grand Slam stage. At this point, Djokovic already has plenty of rivals to play against. From Jannik Sinner, Alexander Zverev, and Carlos Alcaraz, all the way to the seasoned veterans such as Daniil Medvedev and many others, it does seem that bringing Murray as his coach – who's had the liberty of facing these rivals himself – is a good move.

It can be remembered that Murray retired just about four months ago, being the third of the big four to retire after Roger Federer called it a career last season and Rafael Nadal bringing his game to an end as well this year. However, the decision to bring in Murray instead of the other two elite legends is quite baffling – but nevertheless still box office for many tennis fans now more than ever.

Djokovic hasn’t played for quite some time now and even opted to sit out the year-ender tournament – ATP Finals. He is not expected to play in any tournaments in the coming weeks and months, which means fans aren’t likely to see either Djokovic or Murray spend some time in courts.

Sky High Expectations

Well, there has been a lot of talk as to how Novak Djokovic is also slowly mulling retirement at this point in time. This season alone has been proof that Father Time is indeed catching up to him, considering how he ended the 2024 ATP Tour with a disappointing note – with most of his game being quite a lackluster – a shade of his former glory in the game.

Despite finishing with a strong 37-9 record in the campaign, Djokovic has played 11 tournaments this season, including high-profile clashes such as the Australian Open, Roland Garros, Wimbledon, and the US Open – and winning none of those or even one of the four Masters 1000 tournaments he played in. This is indeed a very disappointing note for Djokovic at this point in time.

Sure, he did manage to win the Paris Olympics when he outlasted Carlos Alcaraz in the final, but he was also a title win short from claiming a total of 100 Tour-level titles this season, and instead will have to wait for another chance next season – where he hopes that Murray’s coaching will rub off and give him an edge.