Andy Murray quit tennis, not humor. Invited to speak about his past as a player at the Australian Open, the Briton took the opportunity to tease Novak Djokovic, of whom he is now the coach at the dawn of the first Grand Slam tournament of the season. “I still played here a few times, yes, but I never managed to go all the way. And this man is the main responsible, he said, pointing the finger at the former world No. 1. I’m here now to sabotage his chances of winning another one. » In the event that the collaboration between the two men turns into failure, the Serb can always refer to it at face value.
The reality is that Murray wishes Djokovic well, from whom he demands total transparency. “From now on, we put our cards on the table, that’s what he wants and I 100% support this way of communicating which consists of sharing everything,” explained Nole on Friday. No doubt it was crucial, for the Scot, to know the emotional state of a man desperately alone on his Olympus, abandoned recently by his greatest adversary. “A part of me left with [mes rivaux] “, the Serbian admitted in October, when Rafael Nadal announced his retirement. A part of him that he surely tried to retain by surrounding himself with Sir Andy.
Djoko only seeded number 7 in Melbourne
If he wants to complete his latest quest to “platinum” the tennis game by going for a 25th Grand Slam title and sending this problematic great lady that Margaret Court has become into the retro, the Djoker has no other choice than to cultivate his sacred fire as far as he can. He sought to preserve it by prematurely ending his 2024 season after a final defeat in Shanghai against Jannik Sinner in October, and by going on vacation to the Maldives as the ATP Finals loomed. “Turin is not at all my objective to be honest,” he declared at the time. I’m not chasing the Masters, I’m not chasing the rankings. From my point of view, I’m done with these tournaments. »
His recent interview with GQ supports the thesis of Djokovic focused on the majors. The Masters 1000, he will do them when he wants, that is to say a priori not on clay, the most demanding surface for him, the most demanding in short. But this means losing points, receiving penalties, continuing to lose places in the ATP rankings and ultimately exposing yourself to complicated Grand Slam draws.
In Melbourne, he will be seeded number 7. Bad luck could have given him a hellish draw with Alcaraz and Sinner on his way before the final. It will ultimately only be the Spaniard, assuming that the two men meet in the quarter-finals. Before that, Djokovic will possibly have to overcome the giant Reilly Opelka, his tormentor in the semi-finals in Brisbane. You have to mess with it, the servebot.
As for Alcaraz, he also has a score to settle with history in Melbourne: in the event of final success, he would become the youngest player in history to achieve the Grand Slam in his career, dethroning Rafael Nadal. Enough to complicate the mission even if Nole demonstrated at the Olympics that he was still capable of eating Carlitos’ brain. This is less true for Jannik Sinner, whom he has not beaten once in 2024. Without a helping hand from the Court of Arbitration for Sport, the 25th will therefore be hard to find.
Nole “still feels capable of beating the best”
Somehow, the end-of-career plan imagined by Djokovic depends on his journey in Australia, where he has points to defend until the semi-finals. A flop in the first week would guarantee him a slide out of the top 10, therefore potentially more difficult tournaments at an age where it becomes harder to string together big posters. Again, the calculations for the 25th title would not be good. And as it becomes clear that this is its last engine, the end would then be rapid. “If I start to lose more and feel a gap widening, if I show more difficulty in overcoming the obstacles of the Grand Slams, then I will probably stay there,” he has already warned.
For the moment, the Serb still seems as sure of his strength. “If I still feel capable of beating the best players in the world, why stop now? » Sinner and Alcaraz have their youth, Djokovic has eternity for him. May the best win.
