Andy Murray joined Novak Djokovic’s coaching team after ending his playing days last year (Image: GETTY)
Andy Murray has been told by his former tennis foe Alexander Bublik that he’s clinging to the past after the Briton agreed to coach Novak Djokovic. Murray retired from tennis after last year’s Olympic Games and linked up with Djokovic during the off-season.
Murray and Bublik went head-to-head on the court on five occasions, with the two-time Wimbledon champion coming out on top in three of those matches.
But Bublik thinks Murray’s decision to join forces with Djokovic was motivated by the wrong reasons.
“Now he has joined Novak Djokovic’s team,” explained the Kazakhstani star. “These are attempts to grasp at something that no longer exists, to some echoes of the past. I think this is a problem.
“I hope that it will not be the same for me, but I cannot say for sure. Maybe at the age of 36 I will go to the Challenger in Bangkok, but I still hope that I will leave with peace of mind.”
Bublik, who has only ever reached the fourth round at one Grand Slam, also took aim at 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal after the Spaniard called time on his playing days at the end of last season at the age of 38.
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Alexander Bublik has issued his say on Andy Murray’s link up with Novak Djokovic (Image: GETTY)
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“Yes, I want to leave at the peak,” added the 27-year-old. “It is clear that I am not Rafa, my legacy will be much smaller, if it can be called such. What happened to Andy Murray and Rafa was a circus.
“I can’t call it anything else. People have achieved everything, even we tennis players looked at them with our mouths open in the locker room – and then you see one of them bald and old.
“It is clear that he is no longer the same and will never be the same. In my opinion, this is even a shame, not a circus. Probably, it would be more correct to say so. Although Rafa still left normally.”
Murray will be aiming to help Djokovic win a record-extending 25th men’s Grand Slam title at this month’s Australian Open.
And discussing Murray’s role as part of his backroom team ahead of the tournament, Djokovic revealed: “I love talking to him about the nuances, the details, how I can improve my game, how I can gain an inch, court positioning more comparing to my opponent, and every bit of percentage counts at the highest level.
“I’m not looking to transform my game completely. I mean, I’m not going to be Giovanni [Mpetshi Perricard] serving two first serves and coming in to the net.”
