Dream pairings have had an Australian Open flavour through the years
January 15, 2025
Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray's player-coach partnership is one of many between two former World No. 1's at the Australian Open.
William West/AFP vía Getty
Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray's player-coach partnership is one of many between two former World No. 1's at the Australian Open.
By ATP Staff
Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic shared one of the most dramatic moments in ATP No. 1 Club history a little more than eight years ago. In a winner-takes-all showdown in the Nitto ATP Finals championship match in London, Murray edged Djokovic to clinch the title and ATP Year-End No. 1 honours presented by PIF with his 24th consecutive match win to close out the season.
Fast forward to the 2025 Australian Open and the former World No. 1s have gone from rivals to partners as Djokovic looks to claim his 11th title in Melbourne – and 100th career trophy – with Murray now serving as his coach.
The union is the latest player-coach partnership to feature two members of the ATP No. 1 Club. The players have plenty of history at Melbourne Park, where Djokovic beat Murray four times in the final.
“He knows the evolution of my game, the weaknesses and strengths of my game,” Djokovic said of Murray, a three-time major champion. “We first faced each other when we were 12 years old. There's a lot of communication about every shot in the game, my game, tactics, mental approach, communication on the court during matches, practice sessions. His tennis IQ is very high, we all know that.
“I wanted to have somebody that has won multiple Slams, the list is not that long, somebody that really understands what it means to win a Slam, what it means to face the adversity, the pressure, the expectations. [He is] someone that is a legend of the sport, just showing everyone what it means to be a champion in a real sense of that word.”
<a href='
https://www.atptour.com/en/players/nova ... iew'>Novak Djokovic</a>, <a href='
https://www.atptour.com/en/players/andy ... view'>Andy Murray</a>Novak Djokovic takes mid-match advice from coach Andy Murray at the 2025 Australian Open. Photo: Getty Images.
"After everything he's achieved, he's looking for a bit of motivation," Murray told The Project. "One of my strengths as a player was strategy. I don't think you can become as great as he has become if you don't listen and are not open minded."
Although the foundations of the Djokovic-Murray partnership may seem surprising, it is not the first time that two World No. 1s have joined forces in this capacity. As part of our ATP No. 1 Club series, ATPTour.com looks back on some dream partnerships of years past.
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Boris Becker & Novak Djokovic (2014-16)
Becker coached Djokovic to six of his record 24 Grand Slam singles titles, including two at his favoured Australian Open. A two-time champion in Melbourne himself (1991, 1996), the German was able to guide Djokovic back from his quarter-final defeat in 2014 to back-to-back triumphs in the following years.
After clinching his maiden title at Roland Garros in 2016, Djokovic held all four Slam titles at the same time. The Serbian also won 14 ATP Masters 1000s during his time with Becker, including three-peats at Indian Wells and Miami.
“The goals we set when we started working together have been completely fulfilled," Djokovic said at in a statement announcing their split. "I want to thank him for the cooperation, teamwork, dedication and commitment."
Carlos Moya & Rafael Nadal (2017-2024)
Moya and Nadal squared off eight times on the ATP Tour from 2003-08, with Nadal claiming a 6-2 edge in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series. The Spaniards met when Nadal was 11 years old. Nineteen years later, when Nadal was 30, he brought on Moya as coach.
Whilst working with Moya, Nadal had struggled to cross the line at the Australian Open, falling short in the 2017 and 2019 title-matches. Yet Moya, the 1997 finalist, was finally able to witness his charge succeed in Melbourne when Nadal sealed an epic comeback from two-set-to-love down against Daniil Medvedev in 2022.
"Now that everything is over, I have many memories of an incredible period of my life that will never be matched," Moya recently reflected. "It’s something I’ll always carry with me. I’m grateful that he thought I could form part of his team for this adventure."
It All Adds Up
Stefan Edberg & Roger Federer (2014-15)
Federer brought his childhood idol Edberg onto his team for the 2014 season, and the pair agreed to extend what was initially a one-year arrangement for a second season in 2015. Edberg, a two-time Australian Open champion, helped Federer to a fourth consecutive semi-final in Melbourne in 2014. Federer also reached three major finals during their time together, two at Wimbledon and a third at the 2015 US Open.
Following the conclusion of their partnership, Federer went on to lift back-to-back Australian Open trophies in 2017 and 2018. The Swiss great ended his playing career in 2022, having triumphed in Melbourne on six occasions.
“It was a dream come true,” Federer said at the close of his partnership with Edberg. “He taught me so much, and his influence on my game will remain. He will always be a part of my team.”
Edberg and Federer pose with Federer's 2015 ATP Awards: the Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship award and the Fans' Favourite singles award. Photo by Getty Images.
Juan Carlos Ferrero & Carlos Alcaraz (2018-Present)
Ferrero began working with his fellow Spaniard when Alcaraz was 15 in 2018. As Alcaraz has risen to the very top of the ATP Tour, Ferrero has been with him every step of the way — from his breakthrough into the Top 500, to his ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF honours in 2022, to his third and fourth Grand Slam titles in 2024.
At the 2025 Australian Open, Ferrero will guide the 21-year-old as he continues his quest to become the youngest man of all time to complete the Career Grand Slam.
"He is tough. He is a very serious person when he has to be, when it comes to work and discipline, he is very hard on you," Alcaraz said of his longtime coach. "But he is also very, very funny when he has to be. He knows how to differentiate the moments very well.”
Andre Agassi & Novak Djokovic (2017-18)
Agassi was part of Djokovic's team for nearly a year from mid-2017, alongside Radek Stepanek. While their partnership was informal and without a contract, Djokovic benefited from the experience of a player who had also been to the very top of the game.
"He was genuinely wanting to help and to give me advice and to share his experience with me, and that speaks enough about him as a person," Djokovic said when announcing the end of their partnership. "He’s someone that I always admired as a player and a person. The last eight, nine months with Andre was amazing. The amount of things that I learned, not just about tennis but about life in general... for that I’m very grateful."
<a href='
https://www.atptour.com/en/players/andr ... iew'>Andre Agassi</a>, <a href='
https://www.atptour.com/en/players/nova ... iew'>Novak Djokovic</a>Andre Agassi and Novak Djokovic at the 2018 Australian Open. Photo by: Getty Images.
Jimmy Connors & Andy Roddick (2006-08)
Roddick won the Cincinnati ATP Masters 1000 and reached the 2006 US Open final shortly after hiring Connors in 2006. The explosive American then carried that form into a rock-solid 2007 season, highlighted by his semi-final run at the Australian Open. The partnership, which lasted a year and a half, saw Roddick rise as high as No. 3 in the PIF ATP Rankings.
"Jimmy hadn't been around the Tour in 15 years," Roddick recently said on his Served with Andy Roddick podcast. "But I knew that when I was teeing off, first round, Arthur Ashe Stadium, under the lights, US Open, he knew exactly what I was feeling when I walked out there."
