Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic to “finish careers together” despite Australian Open deal | Tennis | Sport

Former tennis star Alex Corretja expects Andy Murray to continue working with Novak Djokovic beyond this year’s Australian Open. The shock agreement is only due to last until the end of the tournament, with the two icons having been seen together on the practice courts at Melbourne Park this week.

The Scot is aiming to help his former rival, who beat him four times in previous finals down under, win an unprecedented 25th Grand Slam title.

And Corretja, a two-time French Open finalist, believes employing Murray is a clever move on behalf of the Serbian.

“At first, I was shocked,” he told Express Sport. “I couldn’t believe it, I thought ‘Is this serious?’. But it only took me about 10 to 15 seconds to realise it was a really smart move from Novak.

“He’s brought in someone who has been on the tour for so many years, who knows the pace and tactics of players. He knows Novak’s game, he knows how to hurt it. He knows what Novak does well to opponents and what he doesn’t like being done to him.

“He needs someone who knows what’s happening in the moment. You can hire a nice ex-coach with experience, with Grand Slam wins under his belt….but if you bring someone in who has been there with you just a few months ago….that shows you still have the desire to explode.”

The Spaniard, who will be working as an expert for Eurosport during their coverage of the Australian Open, believes Murray’s knowledge of his fellow icon’s game will prove critical. And he dismissed the suggestion that the two would cease working together after coming home from Australia.

“He (Djokovic) will ask him ‘What did you do to beat me? What was you plan?’ This is important because many players will be trying to do that. It’s going to be an interesting combination and I think they might finish their careers together as I don’t think Novak will play for more than two or three years.

“If I was shocked when he hired Andy, I will be more shocked if they finished after Australia, honestly. Even if the results aren’t the ones he isn’t looking for. But I’m expecting a good Novak in Australia. It’s not like he’s going to see how he feels, he’s going there to win.”