Andy Murray leaves door open to coaching return
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Novak Djokovic worked with Andy Murray for six months but did not win any title.
PHOTO: REUTERS
LONDON – Former world No. 1 Andy Murray has left the door open to a coaching return after his short stint with Novak Djokovic ended without a trophy, but the Scot said he did not expect to be working with another player any time soon.
Serbian great Djokovic appointed Murray ahead of this season’s Australian Open and said at the Qatar Open in February they would continue working together for an indefinite period.
However, the 24-time Grand Slam champion then endured a woeful run of form and the pair parted ways in May ahead of the French Open.
“I would do it again (coaching) at some stage. But I don’t think that will happen immediately,” Murray told the BBC on June 9.
“I wasn’t planning on going into coaching as soon as I finished playing, but it was a pretty unique opportunity.
“It was a chance to learn from one of the best athletes of all time. You also learn a lot about how to work with a team. You're working with a physio, physical trainers, agents, and you need to know how to get your message across to the player and find out what makes them tick.
“That was the thing I learnt and something I need to work on if I want to do it again in the future.”
Though they won no titles in their six-month partnership, Murray said he had good memories of his time working with former rival Djokovic, who is the same age as him – 38.
“It was a brilliant opportunity for me. We got to spend some really nice moments away from the court,” the three-time Grand Slam champion added.
“Results weren’t as we wanted, but we gave it a go. We’ll see about coaching in the future, but I don’t think that will happen for a while.”
Djokovic, meanwhile, had suggested that he may have played his last French Open after losing to eventual runner-up Jannik Sinner in the semi-finals.
Following his 6-4, 7-5, 7-6 (7-3) defeat by the world No. 1 Italian, he stopped briefly on his way out of Court Philippe-Chatrier and took a moment to “show his gratitude” to the Paris crowd.
He stills stands on the brink of history after his latest tilt at a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam title was foiled.
One more Major victory would take him beyond Margaret Court and into outright-first on the list of players with the most Grand Slams.
“At the moment I will try to stick with the plan that I had, which is play the Grand Slams,” Djokovic said.
“Those tournaments are the priorities of my schedule, my calendar. Wimbledon and US Open, yes, they are in plans. That’s all I can say right now.” REUTERS, AFP
