Novak Djokovic had a special New Year's Eve message for his new coach Andy Murray after winning his opening-round match against Rinky Hijikata on Tuesday evening at the Brisbane International presented by Evie.
“He is skiing at the moment. He has a family skiing trip. Sending my love to all the Murray family,” Djokovic said in his post-match on-court interview.
“I hope he doesn’t get injured skiing before he comes to Melbourne. That wouldn’t be great,” he said, drawing laughter from the crowd.
The former No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings also shared that they had spoken before the match and have been in constant touch.
Djokovic announced his partnership with his former rival Murray in November last year. The Serb, who is aiming to win a record-extending 25th major at the Australian Open, will be joined by the 37-year-old in Melbourne.
“Just overall, a very nice and strange feeling to have him on the same side of the court. We have been rivals for 20-plus years and always kind of kept secrets from each other about the way we practised, the way we prepared, and the way we approached the matches. Never wanted to show weakness to your main opponents, your rivals,” he shared.
He is already drawing positives from their collaboration.
“To have a legend of the game, someone that is known to be an intelligent tennis player, it's a great honour, great pleasure for me. I love talking to him about the nuances, the details, how I can improve my game, how I can gain an inch, more court positioning, compared to my opponent. And every bit of percentage counts at the highest level,” he said.
“We haven't spent too many days on the court together, so I look forward to having him in Melbourne.”
The Serbian will play Gael Monfils on Wednesday for a quarter-final berth in Brisbane. Djokovic holds an overwhelming 19-0 lead in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series.
Djokovic, a seven time Nitto ATP Finals champion, finished the 2024 season with a 37-9 match record according to the Infosys ATP Win-Loss Index.
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