Daniil Medvedev’s coach believes Andy Murray ‘knows nothing about coaching’ and will ‘have to learn as he goes along’ after it was confirmed he’d be part of Novak Djokovic’s team for the 2025 Australian Open.
The move was sensationally confirmed over the weekend, with fans left shocked by the decision.
Murray retired from tennis earlier this year after playing doubles with Dan Evans at the Paris Olympics.
As for Djokovic, the 37-year-old will be hoping to win the Australian Open after ending 2024 without a single major to his name.
Andy Murray has agreed to coach Novak Djokovic at the 2025 Australian Open
PA
Many figures associated with the sport believe it is a wise move.
After all, with Murray and Djokovic long-term friends off the court, it could be just what the Serb needs in order to win a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam title.
Yet Medvedev’s coach, Gilles Cervera, has now delivered a withering assessment of the alliance.
“Knowing Murray, I’m not surprised by what’s happened,” he told L’Equipe.
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“Because I knew he wouldn’t be able to sit still for more than two or three months after his retirement.
“Andy knows nothing about coaching. “He doesn’t have what you might call a coaching methodology, so he’s going to learn as he goes along.
“That’s not why Novak wants to work with him. As far as the coaching is concerned, either Novak knows himself so well that he doesn’t need anyone else, or he’ll ask the rest of his team for help.
“Because, you always need someone to take you to areas where you wouldn’t go on your own and where training methods allow you to explore.
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“Anything is possible between the two. I imagine that this collaboration will bring things to Djokovic.
“After that, there’s a physical and energetic reality, in the scheme of things, which means that it’s going to be tough for him, and also for some people against him!”
It will certainly be intriguing to see how the situation plays out.
Djokovic has won 24 Grand Slam titles – two more than Rafael Nadal and four more than Roger Federer achieved during their time in the sport.
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There have been signs, however, that his powers are starting to wane with age.
Djokovic was dumped out of the Australian Open by Medvedev at the start of the year, with the Russian then proceeding to lose to Jannik Sinner in the final.
He was forced to pull out of the French Open due to injury, though did make a quick comeback to play at Wimbledon.
Djokovic did well to make the final of the competition yet was thumped in straight sets by Carlos Alcaraz in the final.
Andy Murray will be hoping to help Novak Djokovic win the Australian Open
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And he was eliminated from the US Open by Alexei Popyrin in August, in a shock exit that very few saw coming.
It would be unwise to write off Djokovic entirely, however. Though 2024 wasn’t his best year, he did beat the likes of Nadal and Alcaraz on his way to winning gold at the Paris Olympics back in the summer.