With an old rival at his side, Novak Djokovic resumes his quest for a 25th grand slam title at the Australian Open

In Novak Djokovic’s quest for his 25th grand slam singles title, he’s recruited long-time rival Andy Murray as a coach for the upcoming Australian Open.

Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray faced each other 36 times throughout their tennis careers, mostly in finals and often at the sharp end of grand slam tournaments. But at this year’s Australian Open, their decades-long rivalry has taken an unexpected turn. In his ongoing pursuit of a record-breaking 25th major title, Djokovic has enlisted Murray, recently retired but not prepared to walk away from tennis entirely, as part of his coaching team. It was an arresting sight for tennis fans when the pair first appeared in Melbourne together this week, Djokovic striking balls in practice and Murray looking on with hawk-like attention. But might this unusual player-coach partnership make sense? “It’s in search of perfection that Novak Djokovic, I think, hires Andy Murray,” seven-time grand slam champion and Eurosport expert Mats Wilander told CNN Sport. “We mustn’t think that he’s going to be five percent better because of Andy Murray … We’re talking about one or two points here and there,” Wilander added. “Murray might have some valuable information that Novak hasn’t thought about before, and that could be the difference between him winning his 25th grand slam title or not.” Currently tied with Australian Margaret Court at the top of the all-time list, Djokovic was expected to become tennis’ outright grand slam singles leader with one more title last year. But despite adding an Olympic gold medal to his trophy cabinet, he went the whole season without winning a major crown for the first time since 2017, falling short against Carlos Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final.