John
McEnroe weighs in on
Andy Murray’s hiring as
Novak Djokovic’s coach The British
former World No. 1 retired at the recent Olympic Games and just months later,
was surprisingly confirmed as coach of one of his biggest career rivals.
The 24-time
Grand Slam champion is coming off a turbulent season—the first without a Major
title since 2017—during which he split with long-time coach Goran Ivanisevic.
Djokovic briefly worked with his childhood coach, Nenad Zimonjic, but spent
much of the year traveling without a coach.
McEnroe reflects on Murray’s return as Djokovic’s coach
Djokovic
made the announcement a few weeks ago via social media, shaking the tennis
world after partnering with his contemporary, whom he has known since their
junior days. Former World No. 1
John McEnroe jokingly shared his thoughts on
the decision during Andy Roddick’s Served podcast, speculating on Murray's
reasons for returning to the Tour in a new role.
According
to the American 7-time Grand Slam champion, Murray would probably still be
playing on Tour if not for his physical limitations. “Andy’s searching. And
listen, I have six kids. He’s got four kids. So he’s like, ‘I need a break,’”
McEnroe laughed.
“He sort of
got pushed into retirement, right? In a way, unfortunately, because his body
wouldn’t hold up,” McEnroe added. “It catches up to you, and it’s hard. It’s
really hard when you’re still feeling pretty young and desperately wanting to
play. So I’m happy [for him].”
Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic at the 2022 Laver Cup
Murray and
Djokovic’s partnership will begin in the early part of the season. The Serbian
is preparing for his first tournament at the
Brisbane International, which
kicks off on December 29. “I mean, I’m sure this is going to be extremely
short-lived but for tennis, the interest that it brings to it, hopefully around
the world,” McEnroe continued.
“I’m
hopeful that Djokovic wins it because it would give Murray a little hit. He
needs some more positive vibes. And I’m kidding a little bit about him needing
to be away from his kids! He’ll sleep a lot more, let’s put it that way, than
he would’ve otherwise.”
Still,
McEnroe supported Murray's potential as Djokovic’s coach and believes he can
add significant value to the Serbian’s game. “This guy is a tennis geek, and he
loves it,” McEnroe explained. “And I’m sure he’ll leave no stone unturned for
Novak, just the way he did for himself. This guy gave 120 per cent of what he
could give for it. Murray gave it absolutely everything he had.”
“I think
Murray is going to bring something to the table, just his mere presence more
than anything else,” the 4-time US Open champion added. “He can totally relate
to everything that’s been going on. Obviously, Novak has a lot of respect for
him, so he’s going to be able to push him when he needs to.”