Once the jaw-dropping news rolled in that Andy Murray would coach Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open next January, tennis fanatics would have been forgiven for casting a quick glance at the calendar. No, it’s not April 1.
Even after bowing out and slipping quietly into the shadows, Murray continues to light up this crazy old sport. His latest career move is perhaps his most surprising. Surely no one could have seen this coming – not even his most fervent supporters.
He did, however, cast a cursory hint toward it during his emotional retirement ceremony at Wimbledon during the summer. Sue Barker asked whether Murray would be keen to return to the lush grass of SW19 purely as a spectator.
She then pointed out that he had several options. Indeed, a club membership, an invitation to the royal box or perhaps even the commentary booth all beckoned.
But Murray, clearly entertaining other ideas, replied: ‘I’d probably be more comfortable sitting up there in a coaching box than somewhere else.’
And so it has proven, in the most remarkable of circumstances. In truth, he was never going to settle for the stretches of the UK’s finest golf courses for long. That tennis itch has proven irresistible to many and lo, Murray is back where he belongs.
Andy Murray has not rested on his laurels since his emotional retirement from tennis
The Scot has entered the world of golf and is determined to get his handicap down to scratch
He has also spent more time with his wife, Kim Sears (pictured: the couple at an event in 2019)
He fell deeply in love with the sport as a young boy and that fire still burns.
But it would have taken something very special indeed to lure him back less than four months into his retirement and the opportunity to work alongside Djokovic, his historic rival and regular sparring partner, certainly ticks that box.
The Serb confirmed the shock reunion in an Instagram video showing highlights of their past showdowns, narrating: ‘They called us game changers, risk takers, history makers. I thought our story may be over. It turns out it has one final chapter.’
Djokovic has signalled he is ready to make one last push toward the summit in the waning days of his career and he believes Murray is the man to help him do it.
At least on paper, Murray has all the hallmarks of a brilliant coach in the making. His reading of the game was always second to none and he is obsessed with almost every element, ranging from statistics to training methods and racquet science.
Never one to take a coach’s word for it, Murray had to test it out for himself. In this new role, which will see him positioned up in the seats from which his old coaches felt his red-hot fits of venom, this approach may give Djokovic the edge he wants.
Murray is also a man of many talents.
In the heady early days of his retirement, he swapped out his tennis racquets for golf clubs. On X, his bio now simply reads: ‘I played tennis. I now play golf.’
Murray was confirmed as Novak Djokovic’s coach for the Australian Open in a shock move
The world of tennis is irresistible for Murray, who is back just three months after retiring
Kim regularly and passionately supported Murray during his matches
While this may be placed on the backburner in favour of his coaching journey with Djokovic, he remains determined to get his handicap down to scratch.
Murray played alongside a host of fellow celebrities at the Pro-Am event at the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth in September, where he duly impressed his fellow Scot Bob MacIntyre. Shortly after, he lifted his first trophy in the sport.
After featuring in the inaugural BTJA Mike Dickson Golf Day, an event run by the British Tennis Journalists’ Association and started in memory of the beloved late Daily Mail journalist Mike Dickson, Murray took home his first gong.
His handicap is currently believed to be seven but Murray is continuing to have regular lessons. MacIntyre believes he will improve rapidly.
‘For someone that’s not really played that much, I thought he was good,’ MacIntyre said at Wentworth. ‘I was very impressed with his game. He’ll be scratch in no time.’
Murray admitted he is relishing a different sporting challenge.
‘It’s a different sort of nerves, because you are comfortable in the sort of tennis environment,’ he said. ‘I’m not thinking I’m going to walk out on the tennis court and forget how to hit the ball.
‘Whereas here, there’s people standing five metres away from where I’m driving, and I’m like, I’m useless at this game. You just want to try and keep the ball in play and don’t mess up too much.’
Bob MacIntyre has tipped Murray to improve quickly at golf and is impressed with his game
Murray took part in the Pro-Am prior to the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth this year
He tied the knot with Kim at a wedding at Dunblane Cathedral in 2015
Murray added: ‘I’m obviously getting to practice a lot more than the average person. I obviously played a bit when I was younger, and if I can get the right sort of lessons and practice the right things, then yeah, I’ve got a chance of doing that.
‘The lessons have made a huge difference. That’s been the most important thing. I used to go down to the range and hit lots of balls, and I could hit a few good ones.
‘But if you have a fundamental flaw in your swing or what you’re doing, it doesn’t matter how many balls you hit on the range.’
Murray has also worked on his fitness and lost 11 pounds since hanging up his racket. However, he conceded that he hasn’t stepped foot in a gym since the first few days of his retirement, despite promising his wife he would do so.
‘I haven’t been to the gym for five weeks,’ he said. ‘I said to my wife, I was like, Look, I’m going to make sure when I stop, I’m going to make sure I stay in good shape.
‘And she said: “Oh, if you’re just going to go and play golf, I don’t want that”. I said: “No, no, I’ll get myself in the gym, make sure I stay in shape”.
‘I went to the gym three of the first four days after I stopped, worked really hard, and then went up to Scotland for a couple of days for a holiday, and haven’t been back since. It’s been five weeks I’ve not been in the gym, longest ever for me probably.
‘I don’t know if it’s like appetite, if I’m not eating as much, but we obviously have like loads of the sport drinks have got lot of calories in them, and I only really drink water and coffee now. So I don’t know, I think just less calories and probably loss of muscle.
‘I’ve lost about 11, 12 pounds. It’s a lot. I was expecting the opposite to happen.’
Never one to rest on his laurels, Murray certainly isn’t done here.
