Tennis: Djokovic And Murray Have Parted Ways After Six Months

Andy Murray will no longer be working as Novak Djokovic’s coach.

The decision, said to be by mutual agreement, means Murray will not be by Djokovic’s side when he chases an eighth Wimbledon title in July.

Djokovic, a 24-time Grand Slam champion, joined forces with Murray in November.

Under Murray, the Serb reached the semi-finals of the Australian Open, ultimately retiring injured after losing the first set.

The 37-year-old has had a difficult season by his high standards, losing his first match in four of his past five tournaments, as well as being beaten in the Miami Open final by 19-year-old Jakub Mensik.

“Thank you, coach Andy, for all the hard work, fun and support over last six months on and off the court – really enjoyed deepening our friendship together,” Djokovic said.

“Thanks to Novak for the unbelievable opportunity to work together, and thanks to his team for all their hard work over the past six months,” Murray added.

“I wish Novak all the best for the rest of the season.”

For all the promise of Melbourne, the Murray-Djokovic partnership ultimately lasted only four tournaments.

Murray was present in Miami, where Djokovic reached the final without dropping a set before losing to Mensik in two close tie-breakers.

Djokovic has taken a wildcard into next week’s Geneva Open, having so far failed to win a match on clay this year.

The three-time French Open champion was beaten in the first round of the Monte Carlo Masters as the clay-court swing began and missed this month’s Italian Open without giving a reason for his absence.

Djokovic said in February that their arrangement was an indefinite one.

“We agreed we are going to work most likely in the [United] States and then some clay-court tournaments and see how it goes after that,” he said at the time.

That is as far as it went in the end – but it was fun, and quite enchanting, while it lasted.

Djokovic was very complimentary about three-time Slam winner Murray at the Australian Open, saying coaching comes naturally to him.

“I’m very pleasantly surprised with his dedication and professionalism, considering he’s never had the experience of working as a tennis coach,” he said in January.

“It comes natural to him. His IQ generally and tennis IQ is very high. He observes and speaks when is most important.

“I think he understands the moment when he needs to say something and what to say and what to ask.

“I must say at the beginning it was a bit of a strange feeling to be able to share the insights with him, not just about the game, but about how I feel, about life in general.

“Not in a negative way, but just in a way I have never done that with him because he was always one of my greatest rivals.”

Murray, 37, said he sometimes felt embarrassed by all the attention he was receiving in Melbourne, as Djokovic’s wider team had done an “incredible job over many, many years”.

Bbc.com