Andy Murray’s first impression of Novak Djokovic: ‘None of those people matter, only Novak’ | ATP Tour

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Murray’s first impression of Djokovic: ‘None of these people matter, only Novak’

Insights from top coach and analyst Brad Gilbert

December 06, 2024

Brad Gilbert remembers asking Andy Murray an important question in 2006, when he first started coaching the Scot. Gilbert moved through the lineup, pressing Murray where the opposition gave him the most trouble. Nearly two decades later, Gilbert still remembers Murray’s response.

“I remember him saying, ‘None of these people matter, only Novak,'” Gilbert told ATPTour.com.

In a full circle, Murray has partnered with his rival Djokovic, coaching the Serbian last season and at the Australian Open. According to Gilbert, it is the right move.

“I once heard that Novak will do something. You didn’t know what he was going to do, but you felt like he needed something, something to motivate him. And obviously she’s going back and forth with Andy,” said Gilbert.

“Andy knows a lot about Novak, he knows a lot about the players Novak will be chasing. But I think more than anything else, when Novak is there, he has these two big guys now [Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz] they’re really up and coming and I think Novak probably feels like he needs a little bit more and I think more importantly, he needs that motivation. “

It wasn’t on our 2024 bingo card…

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Murray, who retired from the Paris Olympics earlier this year, and 99-time tour-ranked Djokovic have clashed 36 times in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series. The Belgrade native won 25 of those meetings. They are fighting to get into the world’s biggest stages, including the last seven majors.

Gilbert, a former No. 4 in the PIF ATP Rankings, also knows what it’s like to quickly transition from the court to the coach’s box. He retired as a player in 1994, the same year he began coaching Andre Agassi. At the same time, Gilbert learned an important training lesson.

“He is a coach, he looks through the eyes of the player he coaches. I was like, ‘I’m going to do X, Y and Z, but Andre doesn’t play like me, so I can’t think about what I’m going to do. I have to think about what Andre had to do.”

Born a week apart in May 1987, Djokovic and Murray were the first two No. 1s in the PIF ATP Rankings to join forces. In fact, Murray is the third No. 1 to be in Djokovic’s corner. The Serbian player has worked with Agassi and Boris Becker.

With a whole season to start preparing new strategies and tactics, Djokovic’s first season will be very exciting. The 37-year-old will start his 2025 campaign in Brisbane.

“The first thing I want to do when I’m in Australia is to watch Murray and Novak practice,” said Gilbert. “It will be interesting, do they practice together? Do you practice with a practice partner? Again [I want to see] if I see something different at the beginning of the first round. As a coach and former player, I’m happy to see something different right away.”