Andy Murray broke the ice when he met Novak Djokovic at the French Open. He joked, “Now that you have a proper coach, you’re winning tournaments!”
The two met for the first time since they announced that Murray would no longer coach Djokovic. This happened when they appeared with Roger Federer at Rafael Nadal’s tribute ceremony.
Since then, Djokovic has started working again with his former coach, Dusan Vemic. On Sunday, Djokovic won his 100th ATP title in Geneva. This was his first tournament win since the Olympics last year.
Djokovic, who is 38 years old, said the decision to part ways with Murray was mutual. He explained, “We kind of joked around. I also had time to talk with him and Roger about some good memories from our rivalries and playing against Nadal here. It was special to be with these two guys after a long time.”
About Murray’s joke, Djokovic said, “He congratulated me and said, ‘Now that you have a proper coach, you’re winning tournaments!’ I didn’t just take it as a joke. Of course, he was joking, but I have said it before and I will say it again: Andy is an amazing person.”
Djokovic added, “For him to join my team and try this player-coach relationship was incredible for tennis and for both of us. I was very honored and enjoyed working with him, even though we did not get the success we both wanted or people expected.”
He continued, “I learned a lot on the court with him. I enjoyed our talks about tennis because he has one of the best tennis IQs out there. I really enjoyed my time with him and feel that we have a closer relationship because of the last four or five months working together.”
At Roland Garros, Djokovic is seeded fifth. He will start his bid for a 25th Grand Slam title by playing American Mackenzie McDonald on Tuesday.
