If the prospect of facing Novak Djokovic in a Grand Slam wasn’t difficult enough, adding British tennis great Andy Murray as his coach only makes it tougher, Daniil Medvedev said on Friday.
Speaking at the Australian Open, where Murray will lead Djokovic for the first time, Medvedev compared the partnership to Lionel Messi coaching Cristiano Ronaldo.
“The impact on Novak, tough to say because Novak … the thing about coaching Novak is that he’s so strong that imagine he wins, we’re like, is it because of Andy or is it because it’s Novak? So never know,” Medvedev told a news conference.
“But it’s a great partnership, I think in terms of everything, in terms of even like energy, like media wise, tennis wise, growing like tennis it’s great.
“It’s like, imagine Messi would become the coach of a Cristiano Ronaldo… it would be strange.”
Murray’s expertise and knowledge of Djokovic’s game could be crucial for the Serb to win a first Grand Slam title since September 2023 — the pair faced off 36 times from 2006 to 2022, with Djokovic winning 25 times including four Australian Open finals.
The Brit said he was surprised that Djokovic asked him to join his coaching team, adding that he could not pass up the opportunity. He also said he is ready to handle his emotions during the tournament and even welcomed any mid-match outbursts.
“I would think that I’d be one of the people that would maybe hopefully understand that side of things,” Murray told reporters on Thursday.
“I know it’s not easy out there and it’s stressful and at times he’s going to want to vent towards his team and his box. Provided he’s giving his best effort and trying as hard as he can, I’m absolutely fine with him expressing himself how he wants.”
