Novak Djokovic drops verdict on Andy Murray’s future as coach, needs ‘time to cool off’: ‘Both disappointed…’

For the new season, Novak Djokovic added former player and arch-rival Andy Murray to his coaching staff. Murray announced his retirement after Paris 2024.

The Rod Laver Arena crowd were left shocked after the first set of the men’s semi-final Australian Open 2025 match between Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev. After losing the first set 6(5)-7(7), the former World No. 1 surprisingly announced his withdrawal from the match due to an injury. Fast forward to the post-match press conference, Djokovic revealed that he was suffering from a muscle tear and would get it properly checked after departing Australia.

Novak Djokovic reacts with his coach Andy Murray after a match. (REUTERS)

But on Friday, the spectators in Melbourne were not happy as he retired due to injury. The fans began to boo him and he simply responded with a thumbs-up, leaving for the locker room. During his courtside interview, Zverev tried to pacify the crowd and asked them not to boo a legend like Djokovic. He suffered the injury during his quarter-final win vs Carlos Alcaraz. But former player John McEnroe accused him of faking his injury so that he could catch his opponents off guard.

Andy Murray's future as Novak Djokovic's coach

For the new season, Djokovic added former player and arch-rival Andy Murray to his coaching staff. Murray announced his retirement after the 2024 Paris Olympics and began his coaching tenure with the former World No. 1 in Melbourne this month. The Scotsman was present at the sidelines during Djokovic’s matches, including the semi-final, at the coaching pods.

When Djokovic withdrew from the match, Murray seemed extremely disappointed and unhappy with the decision. So during the post-match press conference, Djokovic was asked if Murray, who is also a former World No. 1, would continue as his coach in the ongoing season.

“I don’t know. We both were disappointed with what just happened. So we didn’t talk about the future steps. You know, we are so fresh off the court. I will definitely have a chat with Andy and thank him for being here with me and give him my feedback, which is of course positive and see how he feels and we make the next step. We are still hot-headed and disappointed, so it’s kind of hard to switch the page and start talking about what the next steps are. I think we both need to cool off a little bit and then we will have a chat,” he revealed.

Murray and Djokovic were arch-rivals during the former’s playing career. But they have become friends in recent years. They faced each other 36 times, with Djokovic leading 25-11. He leads 5-1 on clay, 20-9 on hard courts and trails 0-2 on grass.