Novak Djokovic has appointed his former rival and three-time Grand Slam champion Andy Murray as his new coach.

Murray, 37, called time on his illustrious 19-year career after the Paris Olympics in August but makes his return to tennis to help the 24-time Grand Slam winner’s preparations for the Australian Open, which begins on January 12.

Djokovic, 37, said: “I am excited to have one of my greatest rivals on the same side of the net, as my coach. Looking forward to start of the season and competing in Australia alongside Andy with whom I have shared many exceptional moments on the Australian soil.”

In a video announcing Murray’s appointment on X, world No. 7 Djokovic added: “We played each other since we were boys; 25 years of being rivals, of pushing each other beyond our limits.

“We had some of the most epic battles in our sport. I thought our story was over, turns out it has one final chapter.

“It is time for one of my toughest opponents to step into my corner.”

The Serbian parted ways with former coach Goran Ivanisevic in March this year.

Murray, who beat Djokovic to win his first Grand Slam at the U.S. Open in 2012, said: “I’m going to be joining Novak’s team in the off season, helping him to prepare for the Australian Open. I’m really excited for it and looking forward to spending time on the same side of the net as Novak for a change, helping him to achieve his goals.”

The Scot defeated Djokovic to end Great Britain’s 77-year wait for a men’s Wimbledon champion in 2013 before winning it again in 2016 after defeating Milos Raonic.

Born a week apart in May 1987, the duo were regular opponents as juniors and went on to play each other 36 times as professionals. Djokovic won the majority of those head-to-head meetings, with 25 victories to Murray’s 11.

Djokovic and Murray faced off in the Australian Open final in 2011, 2013, 2015, 2016 — with the Serbian winning on all four occasions.

Djokovic (left) beat Murray (right) in four Australian Open finals between 2011 and 2016 (Photo by Michael Dodge/Getty Images)

‘One of the most intriguing coach-player relationships in tennis history’

Analysis by Charlie Eccleshare

Remember those matches where Murray would do something so utterly crazy you had to do a double take?

Well it turns out he still fancies a bit of that in retirement. Today’s (Saturday) announcement caught everyone in tennis by surprise and feels like the sort of thing that would be suggested in online forums or by fans over a few drinks but doesn’t actually happen in the real world.

Come on, Murray has only just retired, he’s enjoying having proper time with his family and working on his golf game, he’s entitled to a quiet few months.

Or not. Instead he’s signed up to one of the most intriguing coach-player relationships in tennis history. Certainly it’s extremely rare to have such a recently retired player linking up with one of their big rivals.

The Murray camp were tight-lipped on Saturday about what exactly his role will be and how it has come about, (team Djokovic were also contacted for comment) but he will surely be a prominent voice given the mutual respect between these two.

The fact that Djokovic beat Murray in four Australian Open finals only adds to the intrigue around it given their partnership will start in earnest in Melbourne in January.

How Murray will operate as a coach is unknown, but he has always been held in extremely high esteem in tennis circles for his shrewd analysis of the game. His high tennis IQ was one of his biggest strengths as a player and one assumption has been that he will one day be the British Davis Cup captain (an event he almost single-handed won for his country nine years ago).

Djokovic doesn’t need much guidance on his shots, or really the mental side of the game, but Murray will offer him a new perspective after a mixed year.

The 24-time Grand Slam champion won the Olympic gold medal he craved but otherwise didn’t pick up another title in 2024. This appointment shows that Djokovic, now 37, is looking to freshen things up as he attempts to reel back in the young would-be usurpers Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner who both beat him in a Grand Slam match this year and split the four majors between them.

Djokovic already shook things up in March when he parted ways with former Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanisevic, who had been his main coach for two years and part of the team since 2018.

Seeing Murray in the coaches box, an area he used to hurl so much invective towards, will take some getting used to, but this could end up being a masterstroke. Or it could go the way of Djokovic’s last partnership with a former world No 1, the largely unsuccessful link up with Andre Agassi during the barren period of 2017 and the first half of 2018.

Either way, this announcement suggests that even in retirement Murray has lost none of his ability to stun the tennis and wider world.

(Top photo: AK BijuRaj/Getty Images)