Andy Murray agreeing to coach Novak Djokovic took the entire tennis world by surprise, with the pair having been fierce rivals on the court.
Tim Henman is intrigued by Murray coaching Djokovic, with the Scot set to work with the Serbian at the 2025 Australian Open.
Djokovic is a 10-time winner of the Grand Slam in Melbourne, with Murray having never won it in his career.
Murray retired from tennis in August, making a quick switch to golf before returning to his beloved sport to coach.
Djokovic will play at the Brisbane International without Murray by his side, with the former set to take part in both doubles and singles.
Laura Robson left really surprised by Andy Murray coaching Novak Djokovic
But the multiple Grand Slam winners will then link up in a bid for success in Melbourne next month, with their pairing definitely taking former British number one Laura Robson by surprise.
“I looked at my phone, I was like, that can’t be real,” she told Eurosport. “And then I looked at the date and thought, no, it’s not April Fools.
“I think it was a total surprise to all of us. We all had the same reaction. We were like, it’s such a surprise, but in a way, it makes total sense.
READ MORE: Who is Novak Djokovic? Step inside the life of the 24-time Grand Slam champion
“At this point, I don’t know who else could coach Novak. It’s quite a tough gig because you would need the credentials, you would need the experience, you would need to know how he’s feeling in certain situations.
“There’s so few people on the planet who can relate to him the way that Andy can. I don’t get the vibe that Novak is going to shout at him. I just don’t think that would be the partnership that they’d have.
“And when they’ve competed against each other so many times and have so much respect for one another, I get the feeling that it’s going to be a much more positive set of emotions going towards the players’ box.
“But equally, I am also struggling to imagine Andy up on his feet, fist-pumping, the way that you expect a coach to in the key moments. It’s fascinating. I can’t wait to see it unfold.”
Andy Murray set to watch tactics and matches for ‘hours and hours’
Murray won three Grand Slam titles during his illustrious career, and it would have been many more if not for the presence of Djokovic.
The Scot emerged successful at the 2012 US Open and at Wimbledon in 2013 and 2016, beating Djokovic in New York and in that first SW19 win.
But the Serbian also beat Murray in five other Grand Slam finals; four at the Australian Open and one at the French Open.
The latter’s fellow Briton Robson is now expecting his analytical side to come to the fore in his coaching career.
“Andy’s got such a tennis brain,” she added. “He will sit down and watch tactics and watch matches for hours and hours.
“You knew that every time you stepped on the court against Andy, he would try and outwork you and try and outfox you. It’s tactical, it’s headspace, it’s the emotions, and maybe that’s going to create a really nice mix.
“You have to imagine that it would, because two amazing players joining up and helping each other out in a way, it has to produce some great results.”
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