Exclusive: Laura Robson says Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray's continued partnership is ‘really cool’ for tennis
By Oli Gent
Published 19/02/2025 at 18:27 GMT
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Eurosport expert Laura Robson has said that Andy Murray's decision to continue as Novak Djokovic's coach is "really cool" for tennis. The three-time Grand Slam champion took up his first coaching role in a sensational move when it was announced last year that he would guide his former rival Djokovic at the Australian Open. The Serb reached the semi-finals in Melbourne before retiring injured.
Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray
Image credit: Getty Images
Eurosport expert Laura Robson said that Andy Murray continuing to coach Novak Djokovic is "really cool" for tennis.
The three-time Grand Slam champion agreed to join the Serbian's team for the 2025 Australian Open, and Murray was seen in Djokovic's box for every match that the 37-year-old played in Melbourne, often celebrating points won or offering encouragement from courtside.
Djokovic, the 10-time champion down under, reached the semi-finals, but was forced to retire during his last-four encounter with Alexander Zverev with a muscle tear in his left leg that he had sustained in his sensational quarter-final victory over Carlos Alcaraz.
Djokovic spoke highly of Murray throughout the tournament, and remarked before the Qatar Open that he was delighted that his coaching partnership with the Scot would continue for the foreseeable future.
Making his competitive return in Doha following his Australian Open exit, Djokovic, the third seed in the draw, was stunned in straight sets by Matteo Berrettini, the unseeded Italian, who earned his first win over a top 10 player since January 2023.
It remains to be seen whether Djokovic, the current world No. 7, will play another tournament before Indian Wells, which begins on March 5. He is not on the entry list for the Dubai Championships as it stands.
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However, what is for certain is that Murray will remain in Djokovic's corner, despite the semi-final disappointment in Melbourne and the Scot's busy home life.
Eurosport's Robson believes that Murray, a father of four, will not want to be away from home for an extended period of time, and that an honest conversation between the pair would have taken a long while to be had.
"It's always tough when you go into a press conference after a loss like that or a retirement, and [Djokovic] hadn't processed what happened on the court yet, let alone had a chance to speak to Andy about his schedule," Robson explained.
"Then you're talking to someone who's a multiple Grand Slam champion who also has four young kids. He's pretty busy at home. I imagine it took them a while to figure out what schedule they were going to be able to do together.
"Andy, for sure, doesn't want to do long stints at a time away from home when he literally just retired a few months ago. I imagine that it took some effort to work out amongst themselves and also their agents, I'm sure.
"But just the positive is that he's back and wanting to continue, because I know from seeing Andy on the courts in Australia, he was really excited at the prospect of hanging around and being together again and was just sinking his teeth into it and getting invested in the tactics.
"You could see from the side of the court how much he wanted Novak to win. So to carry it on, I think it is really cool for tennis to have that storyline ongoing."
Robson thinks that the first-round defeat in Doha will not affect the 24-time Grand Slam champion in the slightest.
"I think that's the main positive for Novak, the fact that he's feeling healthy on the court, again," Robson said.
"The way that he finished in Australia. I'm sure it would have been tough for him to reset because he was playing some of his best tennis against Alcaraz, and then a couple of days later, it doesn't go his way.
"So just at his age, to be able to rebound as quickly as he has, I think is a huge positive sign. I don't know that he is overly bothered about losing early in Doha when you consider all the tournaments that he's won and all his accolades in his career.
"I don't know that he'll take much time to get over this one. So I imagine he's spoken about it in the past, that he really wants to focus on the fact that he wants to get to 25, and that's the big goal for this year rather than a small ATP event in the Middle East."
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