Novak Djokovic did not miss his debut this Monday, at theAustralian Open. Manhandled by a brilliant Nishesh Basavareddy, 19 years old, the Serb raised his level and erased a lost first set to finish in four sets (4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2). With this success, Absence achieved his first with Andy Murray. The Scotsman was active in the Serb’s corner. The latter visibly appreciates the support of his former rival and affirmed to be totally satisfied with this start of collaboration.
Video – Novak Djokovic in the 2nd round of the 2025 Australian Open
Find the men’s draw for the Australian Open here
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“I like having Andy on the bench”
“We try to communicate a lot, on and off the field”explained Djokovic on how it works with Murray, at a press conference. “We talk to each other before the match, before the warm-up. Just now, five minutes ago, we talked about the match, how I feel, how he thinks I played, what we have to do in training tomorrow, etc. Communication is essential to understanding each other and finding a formula that works, and that’s where we are. Since we haven’t spent much time together, we are still in the initial learning phase. It was our first game together, and I like having Andy on the bench. The new seating arrangement, mostly on the field, also helps me hear my entire team better. Sometimes I approached Andy and asked him questions, he gave me his opinion and feedback.”
“I was looking for extra motivation, motivation that I have with Andy”
“I love talking with him, he understands this sport better than anyone. He’s a legend. He understands the ups and downs you go through on the court, not just in terms of Tennis, but also mentally and physically. I I don’t need to explain much to him, he knows what I’m going through. He wants me to show energy, to motivate me to make everything work. Today he did a good job. he stood up several times, he encouraged me. He’s a good guy, and it’s great to have him in my corner. He constantly supports me and encourages me. He does an outstanding job in that regard. He cares a lot about me and puts a lot of energy into it. to make me feel good on the pitch, honestly, I think that’s what I needed. I was looking for extra motivation, motivation that I have with Andy.”
