Novak Djokovic hopes Andy Murray can give him extra edge to bounce back in tennis majors
Novak Djokovic started his new singles season in style, beating Australian wildcard Rinky Hijikata 6-3 6-3. But he knows he has bigger fish to fry — and hopes he has the coach to help him.
A relentless Novak Djokovic hopes linking with former long-time rival Andy Murray will provide the extra edge he needs to keep up with tennis’ new breed of stars and ensure he doesn’t go a second straight year without winning a grand slam title.
Serbian star Djokovic, 37, started his new singles season in style at Pat Rafter Arena on Tuesday, beating Australian wildcard Rinky Hijikata 6-3 6-3 in the first round of the Brisbane International.
However, while praising Hijikata for his performance, Djokovic knows he has much bigger fish to fry, including the likes of world No.1 Jannik Sinner and world No.3 Carlos Alcaraz, who between them won the four men’s singles grand slam titles in 2024.
It’s the main reason he has hired former Wimbledon winner Murray as his coach.
“I love talking to him (Murray) about the nuances, the details, how I can improve my game, how I can gain an inch, court positioning more compared to my opponent - every bit of percentage counts at the highest level,” 24-time grand slam singles winner Djokovic said.
“What I have been getting from him already is really positive, but we haven’t spent too many days on the court together, so I look forward to having him in Melbourne (at the Australian Open).
“I’m not looking to transform my game completely … but I definitely am looking to improve, even if it’s the slightest percentage, every single shot that I have in my game, and maybe something that people don’t necessarily see (in) court positioning, the transition play (and) the tactics.”
World No.7 Djokovic’s win over Hijikata set up a second-round meeting with Frenchman and fellow veteran Gael Monfils, who earlier needed three sets to beat 19-year-old American qualifier Nishesh Basavareddy 6-4 4-6 6-1.
Djokovic has never lost to 38-year-old Monfils on the ATP Tour, holding a 19-0 singles record over his good friend.
“I’m expecting for the streak to go on,” a smiling Djokovic said.
“We saw each other in the locker room after our matches, and we had a talk about it.
“It’s awesome. He’s a year older than me. He’s still going strong. He was always one of the best athletes that we have on the tour.
“Flexibility, agility, speed, strength, it’s just exceptional with him. He’s a super guy. We have known each other since our junior days and played many matches against each other. I look forward to it.”
Djokovic was also looking forward to again partnering with Nick Kyrgios on Wednesday in a round-of-16 doubles clash against top seeds Nikola Mektic and Michael Venus.
“I don’t play doubles much, but I couldn’t miss the opportunity to play with Nick in his comeback,” he said.
“A lot of people were excited to see us on the court together (on Monday night in their first-round doubles win over Austrian Alexander Erler and German Andreas Mies).
“I had a lot of fun. It was a great doubles match.”
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