Novak Djokovic saw his bid for an 11th Australian Open come to an abrupt end after retiring from his semi-final match against Alexander Zverev.
Djokovic was concerned ahead of the Australian Open semi-final, after taking a medical timeout in his four set quarter-final victory over Carlos Alcaraz.
Many had speculated about this injury, with John McEnroe questioning Djokovic after he came back to beat the Spaniard.
However, it appears that the leg injury was worse than first imagined with Djokovic retiring against Zverev after losing the first set.
This led to Djokovic being booed by some on Rod Laver Arena, as his first tournament with Andy Murray comes to an end.
Jim Courier and Laura Robson predict future of Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic partnership
Murray coached Djokovic at the Australian Open for the first time, helping the Serbian to his 12th semi-final at the Melbourne major.
This included Murray helping Djokovic beat Alcaraz at a major tournament for the first time since Roland Garros 2023.
As expected, this has brought up a lot of speculation about the future of Djokovic and Murray’s coaching partnership, with Jim Courier suggesting that he believes they will reunite for the other major tournaments.
“I think it is going to be fascinating to see if Andy decides to come back on board for Roland Garros, because that is really the next moment which matters,” Courier said on Eurosport. “I certainly wouldn’t expect to see Andy in the Middle East if Novak is able to play or Indian Wells or Miami.
“But I could certainly see him being present for Roland Garros and Wimbledon. Those would be convenient for him, I am sure Andy would be excited about that but only the two of them know. I didn’t really get a chance to speak with Andy unfortunately.”
Djokovic was scheduled to play Davis Cup for Serbia in their qualifier tie against Denmark, but has suggested that is next event will now be the ATP 500 tournament in Doha.
Laura Robson revealed on Eurosport that she has spoken to Murray and got positive feedback about how the new role post-retirement was going.
“Every time I spoke to him he was really enjoying it and he was enjoying the challenge of getting behind the scenes and doing the analysis, that is the stuff he really loves,” said Robson. “So he enjoyed that aspect.
“I am not sure he would enjoy doing a full schedule, not that Novak is anywhere near likely to play a full schedule but I think Andy has to get home and realise how many weeks he wants to do on the road. But I know he did actually really enjoy the coaching side.”
What has Novak Djokovic said about his future with Andy Murray?
Djokovic, himself, has also been asked about the future of this partnership with Murray and spoke in his post-match press conference about the conversations that will be had.
“I don’t know. You know, we both were disappointed with what just happened, so we didn’t talk about the future steps. We are so fresh off the court,” explained Djokovic. “I’ll definitely have a chat with Andy and thank him for being here with me. You know, give him my feedback, which is, of course, positive, and see how he feels and we make the next step.
“We are still hot-headed and disappointed, so it’s kind of hard to switch the page and start talking about what the next steps are. You know, I think we both need to cool off a little bit and then we’ll have a chat.”
Someone who has been impressed by the Djokovic-Murray collaboration is Nick Kyrgios, who took to social media to praise their run in Melbourne.
In response to a social media post celebrating Murray’s first tournament as a coach, Kyrgios said, “Absolutely- one thing we can agree on.”
Kyrgios also collaborated with Djokovic recently, having played doubles together at the Brisbane International.
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