Andy Murray has brought a new level of intensity to Novak Djokovic’s tennis ...Middle East

MELBOURNE — Keen observers of Andy Murray’s career will have recognised an eerie echo of the past on Wednesday.

His career went on much longer of course, via another hip surgery, but Murray was never the same again.

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That session ended with Murray sitting on the bench, angrily gesturing strokes that his body would no longer allow him to play, while Djokovic kept hitting with his own team.

Australian Open organisers are determined to make the week before the year’s opening major as much of an event as the tournament itself, so it was ideal that Djokovic decided to practise with Jack Draper, the man whom Murray himself took under his wing and groomed to take over his mantle.

As such, Draper played the rare part of third fiddle on Rod Laver Arena, as more than 1,000 people flocked to watch rivals-turned-teammates Murray and Djokovic interact.

Djokovic saw in 2025 with a tournament in Brisbane without his new coach before a rendezvous in Melbourne.

Murray is coaching Djokovic for his Australian Open campaign (Photo: Getty)

In stark contrast to his own most frequent coach, the impenetrably taciturn Ivan Lendl, Murray’s running commentary only ceased during points; in between them, he was a constant voice in Djokovic’s ear.

The only time Murray seemed to go quiet was during Djokovic’s moments of verbal flagellation after missing a ball.

Djokovic had three other long-term members of his team on court with him – coach Boris Bosnjakovic, fitness coach Gebhard Gritsch and physio Miljan Amanovic – but it was almost exclusively Murray doing the talking.

Djokovic and Murray in conversation with the rest of the Serb’s coaching team (Photo: Getty)

Two huge tennis fans, they naturally talked shop over the years, but never about each other’s games.

But now the hunter has turned gamekeeper, and the fences are being built higher and higher.

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But Murray seemed to bring another layer of intensity, mostly technical, but also congratulatory – “brilliant, brilliant,” he muttered when Djokovic hit a running backhand pass into a minuscule gap in Draper’s defences, offering his charge a low-five – sometimes before the point was even over.

This was the first time we had seen him on Rod Laver since a five-set victory over Matteo Berrettini in January 2023, a vintage Murray comeback during a sell-out night session that could hardly have been more different from the midday sunshine, a half-full stadium and the former world No 1 standing at the back of the court in tracksuit bottoms.

He has only been retired five months and a coach for just two weeks of work, yet he was striding to the net to discuss the next part of the session with Draper’s coach James Trotman, muttering in the ear of Bosnjakovic and (gingerly) jogging to pick up balls like he had been doing it all his life.

Murray the player always looked a little ungainly. Murray the coach looks anything but.

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