{"id":19028,"date":"2025-01-14T03:16:57","date_gmt":"2025-01-14T03:16:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=19028"},"modified":"2025-01-14T03:17:14","modified_gmt":"2025-01-14T03:17:14","slug":"the-cranky-moment-that-djokovic-and-murrays-strange-partnership-got-awkward","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=19028","title":{"rendered":"The cranky moment that Djokovic and Murray\u2019s \u2018strange\u2019 partnership got awkward"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Novak Djokovic\u2019s curious coaching collaboration with long-time rival Andy Murray was firmly under the microscope of global media as the Australian Open began for the 24-time grand slam winner.<\/p>\n<p><i><b>Watch every ball of The 2025 Women\u2019s Ashes Series LIVE with no ad-breaks during play on Kayo | New to Kayo?\u00a0Get your first month for just $1. Limited time offer.<\/b><\/i><\/p>\n<div class=\"e5mrwj-0 jpgUYc\"><\/div>\n<p>The reviews?<\/p>\n<div class=\"ecpz18-0 kMdhGx\"><\/div>\n<p>Awkward at times, but fascinating.<\/p>\n<div class=\"e5mrwj-0 jpgUYc\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"i-amphtml-fill-content i-amphtml-replaced-content\" src=\"https:\/\/content.foxsports.com.au\/fs\/electrode\/poster-fallback.png\" \/><iframe class=\"i-amphtml-fill-content\" title=\"Minutely\" src=\"https:\/\/snippet.tldw.me\/amp\/amp-launcher.html?publisher=204500&amp;placement=4280#amp=1\" name=\"amp_iframe0\" frameborder=\"0\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-popups allow-same-origin allow-top-navigation\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p>Here is what has been written since the Serbian icon beat American teen Nishesh Basavareddy in four sets, raising eyebrows by dropping the first.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWell, it was not exactly the dream debut for tennis\u2019s new celebrity double-act. Sir Andy Murray\u2019s first match in the coaching box found him looking on awkwardly as Novak Djokovic struggled to put away the world No 107,\u201d wrote Simon Briggs for London\u2019s\u00a0The Telegraph.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAfter about an hour\u2019s play, when 19-year-old Nishesh Basavareddy had established an unexpected lead, Djokovic looked towards his player box, made a talking sign with his hand, then held out his arms in obvious dissatisfaction.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe message? One could probably put it in Delia Smith terms: \u2018Let\u2019s be \u2018avin\u2019 you!\u2019 Or, to be more formal, \u2018Please could you provide me with a little more verbal encouragement\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"ecpz18-0 kMdhGx\"><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Briggs wrote that Djokovic was \u201ccuriously flat\u201d to that point.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe 10-time Australian Open champion still looked agitated and disgruntled as he walked to the net after clinching match point. He glanced at his support team, made a sort of \u201cget away with you\u201d gesture, and seemed to be chuntering angrily about something or other. It was a strange reaction, but it only lasted a second or two.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ecpz18-0 kMdhGx\"><\/div>\n<p>\u201cIf anything, though, it was all a bit too chummy on Monday night. There was a sense that Djokovic didn\u2019t want to vent too violently towards his new associate, just as partners in a freshly-minted relationship do their best not to break wind in front of each other. The end result was a slightly stilted mood, which only livened up once Djokovic began to grind Basavareddy from side to side in the third and fourth sets.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"i-amphtml-fill-content\" title=\"Twitter\" src=\"https:\/\/d-34614652162367180225.ampproject.net\/2410292120000\/frame.html\" name=\"{&quot;host&quot;:&quot;d-34614652162367180225.ampproject.net&quot;,&quot;bootstrap&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/3p.ampproject.net\/2410292120000\/vendor\/twitter.js&quot;,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;twitter&quot;,&quot;count&quot;:1,&quot;attributes&quot;:{&quot;tweetid&quot;:&quot;1878760421282529322&quot;,&quot;width&quot;:375,&quot;height&quot;:472,&quot;_context&quot;:{&quot;ampcontextVersion&quot;:&quot;2410292120000&quot;,&quot;ampcontextFilepath&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/3p.ampproject.net\/2410292120000\/ampcontext-v0.js&quot;,&quot;sourceUrl&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/www.foxsports.com.au\/tennis\/australian-open\/the-cranky-moment-that-djokovic-and-murrays-strange-partnership-got-awkward\/news-story\/55741ab2bf9ad68328311ebd73293cb8&quot;,&quot;referrer&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/c.newsnow.co.uk\/&quot;,&quot;canonicalUrl&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/www.foxsports.com.au\/tennis\/australian-open\/the-cranky-moment-that-djokovic-and-murrays-strange-partnership-got-awkward\/news-story\/55741ab2bf9ad68328311ebd73293cb8&quot;,&quot;pageViewId&quot;:&quot;1941&quot;,&quot;location&quot;:{&quot;href&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/www.foxsports.com.au\/tennis\/australian-open\/the-cranky-moment-that-djokovic-and-murrays-strange-partnership-got-awkward\/news-story\/55741ab2bf9ad68328311ebd73293cb8&quot;},&quot;startTime&quot;:1736824538165,&quot;tagName&quot;:&quot;AMP-TWITTER&quot;,&quot;mode&quot;:{&quot;localDev&quot;:false,&quot;development&quot;:false,&quot;esm&quot;:false,&quot;test&quot;:false,&quot;rtvVersion&quot;:&quot;012410292120000&quot;},&quot;canary&quot;:false,&quot;hidden&quot;:false,&quot;initialLayoutRect&quot;:{&quot;left&quot;:470,&quot;top&quot;:2773,&quot;width&quot;:940,&quot;height&quot;:1183},&quot;domFingerprint&quot;:&quot;3951728376&quot;,&quot;experimentToggles&quot;:{&quot;canary&quot;:false,&quot;a4aProfilingRate&quot;:false,&quot;doubleclickSraExp&quot;:false,&quot;doubleclickSraReportExcludedBlock&quot;:false,&quot;flexAdSlots&quot;:false,&quot;flexible-bitrate&quot;:false,&quot;ios-fixed-no-transfer&quot;:false,&quot;story-ad-placements&quot;:false,&quot;story-disable-animations-first-page&quot;:true,&quot;story-load-inactive-outside-viewport&quot;:true,&quot;amp-sticky-ad-to-amp-ad-v4&quot;:false,&quot;story-video-cache-apply-audio&quot;:false,&quot;amp-story-subscriptions&quot;:true,&quot;interaction-to-next-paint&quot;:true,&quot;amp-story-first-page-max-bitrate&quot;:false,&quot;story-load-first-page-only&quot;:true,&quot;story-ad-page-outlink&quot;:false,&quot;amp-geo-ssr&quot;:true,&quot;story-remote-localization&quot;:true,&quot;attribution-reporting&quot;:false},&quot;sentinel&quot;:&quot;0-17775920721942937129&quot;},&quot;type&quot;:&quot;twitter&quot;}}\" width=\"375\" height=\"472\" scrolling=\"no\" sandbox=\"allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox allow-forms allow-modals allow-pointer-lock allow-popups allow-same-origin allow-scripts\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-amp-3p-sentinel=\"0-17775920721942937129\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Djokovic spoke about the Murray pairing both on court and in his post-match press conference, insisting that all was well.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI am thrilled to have him in my corner,\u201d Djokovic said on court.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI must say it was a bit of a strange experience to have him courtside in my box. We played for over 20 years against each other at the highest level. Great to have him on the same side of the net.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe gave me some great advice mid match. He\u2019s been doing really well. It\u2019s been an enjoyable experience. Hopefully we don\u2019t stop here.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"ecpz18-0 kMdhGx\"><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"sc-11i7hbm-0 eUyOEq\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"i-amphtml-fill-content i-amphtml-replaced-content\" src=\"https:\/\/content.api.news\/v3\/images\/bin\/474875535ebc77feefb5deb06558b40f\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 940px, 100vw\" srcset=\"https:\/\/content.api.news\/v3\/images\/bin\/474875535ebc77feefb5deb06558b40f?width=320 320w, https:\/\/content.api.news\/v3\/images\/bin\/474875535ebc77feefb5deb06558b40f?width=640 640w, https:\/\/content.api.news\/v3\/images\/bin\/474875535ebc77feefb5deb06558b40f?width=768 768w\" alt=\"Novak Djokovic speaks with coach Andy Murray during his Australian Open first-round match.\" \/><figcaption class=\"sc-11i7hbm-1 gSnntl\">Novak Djokovic speaks with coach Andy Murray during his Australian Open first-round match.Source: Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Writing for\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/sport\/2025\/jan\/13\/djokovic-murray-first-test-australian-open\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The Guardian<\/a>, Tumaini Carayol said that the pairing\u2019s first outing was always going to feel odd.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNaturally, Murray had to figure out what kind of energy he should exude to his player in the middle of a match. From the beginning, Murray applauded almost every successful point from Djokovic, constantly standing up and down from his chair. After Djokovic implored his box to provide him with more encouragement, Murray responded in kind. Late in the second set, as Djokovic took a decisive break of serve, the former rivals traded fist pumps for the first time.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTheir most comprehensive interaction came after Djokovic took a two sets to one lead and the Serb headed over to his box for a strategic discussion. The dynamic between them perhaps illustrated why Djokovic sought Murray out in the first place. Djokovic listened intently as Murray offered tactical advice, asked a follow-up question and then nodded before returning to his seat. There are few former tennis players or coaches in history with a strong enough r\u00e9sum\u00e9 for Djokovic to immediately trust their advice in the heat of battle so early into their collaboration.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn the end, as Djokovic himself admitted, it was a strange situation but, with their history, their first match was always going to feel odd. As they continue an intense week of training together, constantly talking, asking questions and getting to know each other on a completely new level, the novelty and strangeness of these interactions will surely wear off.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"sc-15rcxg2-0 kJtnfi\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"i-amphtml-fill-content amp-hidden\" src=\"https:\/\/www.foxsports.com.au\/pmd\/images\/2025\/01\/10\/896829_640x360_large_20250110134215.jpg\" \/><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"i-amphtml-fill-content\" title=\"IMA video\" src=\"https:\/\/d-34614652162367180225.ampproject.net\/2410292120000\/frame.html\" name=\"{&quot;host&quot;:&quot;d-34614652162367180225.ampproject.net&quot;,&quot;bootstrap&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/3p.ampproject.net\/2410292120000\/vendor\/ima-video.js&quot;,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;ima-video&quot;,&quot;count&quot;:2,&quot;attributes&quot;:{&quot;tag&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/pubads.g.doubleclick.net\/gampad\/ads?ad_rule=1&amp;cmsid=2492325&amp;correlator=1736817435965&amp;cust_params=pagetype%3DAMPArticle&amp;description_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.foxsports.com.au%2Ftennis%2Faustralian-open%2Fthe-cranky-moment-that-djokovic-and-murrays-strange-partnership-got-awkward%2Fnews-story%2F55741ab2bf9ad68328311ebd73293cb8&amp;env=vp&amp;gdfp_req=1&amp;impl=s&amp;iu=%2F21780812979%2Ffoxsports%2Fstory-amp%2Ftennis%2Faustralian-open%2Fstory&amp;output=xml_vast3&amp;sz=640x480&amp;unviewed_position_start=1&amp;vid=896828&quot;,&quot;poster&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/www.foxsports.com.au\/pmd\/images\/2025\/01\/10\/896829_640x360_large_20250110134215.jpg&quot;,&quot;sourceChildren&quot;:&quot;[[\\&quot;SOURCE\\&quot;,{\\&quot;src\\&quot;:\\&quot;https:\/\/foxsportspmd-a.akamaihd.net\/free\/geoblock\/2025\/01\/10\/DVU_100124_NICK_ON_DJOKER_202501101337\/DVU_100124_NICK_ON_DJOKER_202501101337_2628.mp4\\&quot;,\\&quot;type\\&quot;:\\&quot;video\/mp4\\&quot;}]]&quot;,&quot;width&quot;:1.77,&quot;height&quot;:1,&quot;_context&quot;:{&quot;ampcontextVersion&quot;:&quot;2410292120000&quot;,&quot;ampcontextFilepath&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/3p.ampproject.net\/2410292120000\/ampcontext-v0.js&quot;,&quot;sourceUrl&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/www.foxsports.com.au\/tennis\/australian-open\/the-cranky-moment-that-djokovic-and-murrays-strange-partnership-got-awkward\/news-story\/55741ab2bf9ad68328311ebd73293cb8&quot;,&quot;referrer&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/c.newsnow.co.uk\/&quot;,&quot;canonicalUrl&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/www.foxsports.com.au\/tennis\/australian-open\/the-cranky-moment-that-djokovic-and-murrays-strange-partnership-got-awkward\/news-story\/55741ab2bf9ad68328311ebd73293cb8&quot;,&quot;pageViewId&quot;:&quot;1941&quot;,&quot;location&quot;:{&quot;href&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/www.foxsports.com.au\/tennis\/australian-open\/the-cranky-moment-that-djokovic-and-murrays-strange-partnership-got-awkward\/news-story\/55741ab2bf9ad68328311ebd73293cb8&quot;},&quot;startTime&quot;:1736824540935,&quot;tagName&quot;:&quot;AMP-IMA-VIDEO&quot;,&quot;mode&quot;:{&quot;localDev&quot;:false,&quot;development&quot;:false,&quot;esm&quot;:false,&quot;test&quot;:false,&quot;rtvVersion&quot;:&quot;012410292120000&quot;},&quot;canary&quot;:false,&quot;hidden&quot;:false,&quot;initialLayoutRect&quot;:{&quot;left&quot;:470,&quot;top&quot;:4886,&quot;width&quot;:940,&quot;height&quot;:531},&quot;domFingerprint&quot;:&quot;3418648410&quot;,&quot;experimentToggles&quot;:{&quot;canary&quot;:false,&quot;a4aProfilingRate&quot;:false,&quot;doubleclickSraExp&quot;:false,&quot;doubleclickSraReportExcludedBlock&quot;:false,&quot;flexAdSlots&quot;:false,&quot;flexible-bitrate&quot;:false,&quot;ios-fixed-no-transfer&quot;:false,&quot;story-ad-placements&quot;:false,&quot;story-disable-animations-first-page&quot;:true,&quot;story-load-inactive-outside-viewport&quot;:true,&quot;amp-sticky-ad-to-amp-ad-v4&quot;:false,&quot;story-video-cache-apply-audio&quot;:false,&quot;amp-story-subscriptions&quot;:true,&quot;interaction-to-next-paint&quot;:true,&quot;amp-story-first-page-max-bitrate&quot;:false,&quot;story-load-first-page-only&quot;:true,&quot;story-ad-page-outlink&quot;:false,&quot;amp-geo-ssr&quot;:true,&quot;story-remote-localization&quot;:true,&quot;attribution-reporting&quot;:false},&quot;sentinel&quot;:&quot;0-38999180112721588380&quot;},&quot;type&quot;:&quot;ima-video&quot;}}\" width=\"1.77\" height=\"1\" scrolling=\"no\" sandbox=\"allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox allow-forms allow-modals allow-pointer-lock allow-popups allow-same-origin allow-scripts\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-amp-3p-sentinel=\"0-38999180112721588380\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<div class=\"sc-15rcxg2-2 hnVLJB\">Australia treated Djokovic &#8216;like sh*t&#8217; | 04:17<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"ecpz18-0 kMdhGx\"><\/div>\n<p>Djokovic elaborated on the experience in his post-match press conference.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe was giving me his feedback, guidance and opinion,\u201d the Serbian said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s important. I enjoy talking to Andy. He knows tennis as well as anybody out there. He\u2019s a legend of the sport. He understands the highs and lows that you go through on the court, not just game-wise but mentally and physically. I don\u2019t need to do much explaining. He gets everything that I\u2019m going through.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe\u2019s constantly supportive and encouraging me. He\u2019s brilliant with that. He cares a lot and he\u2019s putting a lot of energy into trying to make me feel good on the court. I think that\u2019s what I need, honestly. I was looking for that extra motivation. I definitely have it with Andy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"sc-11i7hbm-0 eUyOEq\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"i-amphtml-fill-content i-amphtml-replaced-content\" src=\"https:\/\/content.api.news\/v3\/images\/bin\/8f22223b167d37e25f2e0fe93849974f\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 940px, 100vw\" srcset=\"https:\/\/content.api.news\/v3\/images\/bin\/8f22223b167d37e25f2e0fe93849974f?width=320 320w, https:\/\/content.api.news\/v3\/images\/bin\/8f22223b167d37e25f2e0fe93849974f?width=640 640w, https:\/\/content.api.news\/v3\/images\/bin\/8f22223b167d37e25f2e0fe93849974f?width=768 768w\" alt=\"Andy Murray cheers on Novak Djokovic.\" \/><\/figure>\n<p>Andy Murray cheers on Novak Djokovic.Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Former British star Laura Robson was courtside as a commentator and offered some eyewitness insights.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ecpz18-0 kMdhGx\"><\/div>\n<p>\u201cI managed to keep an eye on him,\u201d Robson said. \u201cHe did not stay for the on-court interview, he was out of there pronto. He\u2019s not used to sitting down and watching a match for three hours and was stretching his back out by the end.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was surprised with how vocal he was. I was surprised to hear, \u2018C\u2019mon Novak, keep the energy up\u2019, and I saw some hand signals too. It was more than I thought we were going to get in a way.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>ESPN\u2019s Mary Joe Fernandez also observed the pair\u2019s fascinating dynamics.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTo see [Murray] so positive, he yells \u2018Come on,\u2019 he\u2019s constantly getting up, he\u2019s clapping all the time, that in itself just give s you confidence if you\u2019re Novak,\u201d Fernandez said.<\/p>\n<p>Former British No.1 Tim Henman said that Murray was taking his duties seriously.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI sent him [Andy] a couple of messages saying what do you know and Andy replied saying that he has watched 20 hours of Basavareddy\u2019s game,\u201d Henman said on Eurosport. \u201cThat will give Andy an insight and I\u2019m sure Novak will be aware of his game and his strengths.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"ecpz18-0 kMdhGx\"><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"sc-11i7hbm-0 eUyOEq\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"i-amphtml-fill-content i-amphtml-replaced-content\" src=\"https:\/\/content.api.news\/v3\/images\/bin\/742f97e4e39b50baa46b43f89312cc96\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 940px, 100vw\" srcset=\"https:\/\/content.api.news\/v3\/images\/bin\/742f97e4e39b50baa46b43f89312cc96?width=320 320w, https:\/\/content.api.news\/v3\/images\/bin\/742f97e4e39b50baa46b43f89312cc96?width=640 640w, https:\/\/content.api.news\/v3\/images\/bin\/742f97e4e39b50baa46b43f89312cc96?width=768 768w\" alt=\"Andy Murray watches Novak Djokovic.\" \/><figcaption class=\"sc-11i7hbm-1 gSnntl\">Andy Murray watches Novak Djokovic.Source: Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Writing for\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thetimes.com\/sport\/tennis\/article\/djokovic-murray-australian-open-results-scores-753jjtxdk\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The Times<\/a>, Stuart Fraser said that Murray was never going to overplay his hand.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThose who expected Andy Murray to be on his feet barking instructions at Novak Djokovic or gesturing at his watch towards the umpire as if he was Sir Alex Ferguson were always going to be disappointed. While he was renowned for his on-court histrionics as a player, Andy Murray the coach is more in line with his restrained manner away from the court.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is not to say that Murray had no impact on Djokovic\u2019s first-round victory at the Australian Open. At a set down to the 19-year-old American wild card Nishesh Basavareddy, Djokovic walked close to his coaching box at the back corner of the Rod Laver Arena court and looked for some tactical inspiration from his former rival.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt still takes some getting used to seeing Murray and Djokovic working together in this way, particularly so at Melbourne Park where Djokovic denied Murray an Australian Open title in four finals, as well as a tumultuous five-hour semi-final in 2012. Even Djokovic himself felt it somewhat surreal on Monday evening to have his fellow 37-year-old in his team.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"i-amphtml-fill-content\" title=\"Twitter\" src=\"https:\/\/d-34614652162367180225.ampproject.net\/2410292120000\/frame.html\" name=\"{&quot;host&quot;:&quot;d-34614652162367180225.ampproject.net&quot;,&quot;bootstrap&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/3p.ampproject.net\/2410292120000\/vendor\/twitter.js&quot;,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;twitter&quot;,&quot;count&quot;:2,&quot;attributes&quot;:{&quot;tweetid&quot;:&quot;1878351180398498103&quot;,&quot;width&quot;:375,&quot;height&quot;:472,&quot;_context&quot;:{&quot;ampcontextVersion&quot;:&quot;2410292120000&quot;,&quot;ampcontextFilepath&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/3p.ampproject.net\/2410292120000\/ampcontext-v0.js&quot;,&quot;sourceUrl&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/www.foxsports.com.au\/tennis\/australian-open\/the-cranky-moment-that-djokovic-and-murrays-strange-partnership-got-awkward\/news-story\/55741ab2bf9ad68328311ebd73293cb8&quot;,&quot;referrer&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/c.newsnow.co.uk\/&quot;,&quot;canonicalUrl&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/www.foxsports.com.au\/tennis\/australian-open\/the-cranky-moment-that-djokovic-and-murrays-strange-partnership-got-awkward\/news-story\/55741ab2bf9ad68328311ebd73293cb8&quot;,&quot;pageViewId&quot;:&quot;1941&quot;,&quot;location&quot;:{&quot;href&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/www.foxsports.com.au\/tennis\/australian-open\/the-cranky-moment-that-djokovic-and-murrays-strange-partnership-got-awkward\/news-story\/55741ab2bf9ad68328311ebd73293cb8&quot;},&quot;startTime&quot;:1736824570911,&quot;tagName&quot;:&quot;AMP-TWITTER&quot;,&quot;mode&quot;:{&quot;localDev&quot;:false,&quot;development&quot;:false,&quot;esm&quot;:false,&quot;test&quot;:false,&quot;rtvVersion&quot;:&quot;012410292120000&quot;},&quot;canary&quot;:false,&quot;hidden&quot;:false,&quot;initialLayoutRect&quot;:{&quot;left&quot;:470,&quot;top&quot;:8019,&quot;width&quot;:940,&quot;height&quot;:1183},&quot;domFingerprint&quot;:&quot;3683206674&quot;,&quot;experimentToggles&quot;:{&quot;canary&quot;:false,&quot;a4aProfilingRate&quot;:false,&quot;doubleclickSraExp&quot;:false,&quot;doubleclickSraReportExcludedBlock&quot;:false,&quot;flexAdSlots&quot;:false,&quot;flexible-bitrate&quot;:false,&quot;ios-fixed-no-transfer&quot;:false,&quot;story-ad-placements&quot;:false,&quot;story-disable-animations-first-page&quot;:true,&quot;story-load-inactive-outside-viewport&quot;:true,&quot;amp-sticky-ad-to-amp-ad-v4&quot;:false,&quot;story-video-cache-apply-audio&quot;:false,&quot;amp-story-subscriptions&quot;:true,&quot;interaction-to-next-paint&quot;:true,&quot;amp-story-first-page-max-bitrate&quot;:false,&quot;story-load-first-page-only&quot;:true,&quot;story-ad-page-outlink&quot;:false,&quot;amp-geo-ssr&quot;:true,&quot;story-remote-localization&quot;:true,&quot;attribution-reporting&quot;:false},&quot;sentinel&quot;:&quot;0-11304286781248291494&quot;},&quot;type&quot;:&quot;twitter&quot;}}\" width=\"375\" height=\"472\" scrolling=\"no\" sandbox=\"allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox allow-forms allow-modals allow-pointer-lock allow-popups allow-same-origin allow-scripts\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-amp-3p-sentinel=\"0-11304286781248291494\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<div class=\"ecpz18-0 kMdhGx\"><\/div>\n<p>Writing for AP, Howard Fendrich said that the pairing was one of similar characters.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBefore heading out into Rod Laver Arena, Djokovic and Murray chatted in the gym. They wrapped up the conversation with a fist bump, before Djokovic hopped on the treadmill to warm up.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDuring the match, apart from an extended conversation before the fourth set, there was only the occasional interaction between player and coach \u2014 a pairing between 37-year-olds born a week apart, and opponents from the age of 12, including in a series of Slam finals as pros. Murray retired at the Paris Olympics in August; Djokovic proposed teaming up in November.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs a player, Murray was known for mid-match dramatics, plenty of gesticulating and muttering, often directed at his entourage. Djokovic does similar.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Speaking on the Quick Serve podcast, veteran Sports Illustrated tennis writer Jon Wertheim said that the match was a success all-round.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was one of these matches where everyone wins. Novak advances, Andy Murray has a successful coaching debut and Basavareddy now goes to his next event with the confidence that he really belongs; not only winning a lot of matches, but taking a set off the great Novak Djokovic on one of the biggest stages in tennis. Sort of a happy occasion.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Novak Djokovic\u2019s curious coaching collaboration with long-time rival Andy Murray was firmly under the microscope of global media as the Australian Open began for the 24-time grand&#8230; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":19029,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19028","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tennis"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>The cranky moment that Djokovic and Murray\u2019s \u2018strange\u2019 partnership got awkward - 24\/7 News America<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=19028\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The cranky moment that Djokovic and Murray\u2019s \u2018strange\u2019 partnership got awkward - 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